Special envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff made miscalculations during the negotiation process, Foreign Policy reports, calling it a "walking disaster."
The magazine said that after Witkoff's last meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the special envoy misunderstood the Russian message. However, a White House spokesman later denied this information.
Foreign Policy believes that such mistakes can be expected, since the special envoy does not allow the expert of the US State Department to attend his meetings and The National Security Council. In addition, according to the magazine, Witkoff was accused of not knowing the names of the regions in question as part of a peaceful settlement.
The day before, Witkoff said that the total duration of his meetings with the Russian president and members of his inner circle was approximately 24-25 hours.
Witkoff paid an official visit to Moscow on August 6. In the Kremlin, he held his fifth meeting with Putin, which lasted about three hours. According to Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, two key issues were at the center of the talks: the situation around the Ukrainian conflict and the prospects for the possible development of strategic cooperation between Russia and the United States.
His meeting took place before the summit of Russia and the United States in Alaska, which took place on August 16. Putin and the American president positively assessed this meeting.
Witkoff had previously visited Moscow twice in April and held two meetings with Putin. They were devoted to the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. The meeting on April 11 lasted about four hours. Witkoff's previous visits to Moscow took place on February 11 and March 13, 2025, RBC reminds.