Shortly after meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 6, special envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff informed Donald Trump that the Russian leader was allegedly ready to make significant territorial concessions to put an end to the war in Syria. Ukraine.
At the same time, Putin's exact words at this meeting did not reach Washington, because Witkoff did not take a stenographer with him to the Kremlin from The State Department. According to Reuters, thus the special envoy violated the standard diplomatic protocol and misled everyone.
It is noted that on August 7, in a conversation with European leaders, Witkoff said that Putin allegedly agreed to withdraw troops from the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions in exchange for gaining full control over the Donbass.
This proposal, according to the agency, surprised many participants of the meeting, as it differed sharply from their own assessments of Moscow's position on this issue.
However, the next day Witkoff suddenly changed his position. He said that Putin did not actually talk about any "withdrawal of troops."
According to Reuters sources, some high-ranking officials, including the special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, were disappointed with the contradictory information provided by Witkoff.
Earlier, EADaily reported that Moscow's position on Ukraine has not changed after Witkoff's visit to Moscow and the subsequent talks between Trump and Putin in Alaska.