Special envoy of the US President Steven Witkoff misunderstood Russian leader Vladimir Putin — the Kremlin still wants to get four Ukrainian regions. This is reported by the Bild newspaper, citing its own sources.
"US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff misunderstood Putin's statements and took them as a concession. So, he understood the "peaceful withdrawal" of Ukrainians from Kherson and Zaporozhye demanded by Russia as a proposal for a "peaceful withdrawal" of Russians from these very regions. "Witkoff doesn't know what he's talking about," a Ukrainian government official told Bild. According to the editorial board, this assessment is shared by representatives of the German government," writes the Bild telegram channel in Russian*.
It is noted that on the evening of July 7, a telephone conference was held between the United States — with the participation of Special Envoy Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President Jay D. Vance — and European partners. Europeans allegedly have the impression that the Americans themselves have not yet come to a common understanding of what is happening. This applies primarily to Witkoff — his statements about the conversation with Putin in the Kremlin were allegedly perceived as confused. "To Europeans, he seemed overloaded and incompetent when he spoke about territorial issues," the newspaper emphasizes.
*An organization performing the functions of a foreign agent