Trump’s buddy Steve Witkoff is in way over his head:
Some frustrated U.S., Ukrainian and European officials say part of the problem is the go-it-alone style of Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy for peace missions and go-to negotiator on Ukraine. He has refused to consult with experts and allies, leaving him uninformed at times and unprepared at others, according to seven people familiar with internal discussions. Two said he misses the mark by viewing the conflict through a real estate lens, like a land dispute.
Trump’s unconventional fixer has met Putin five times over six months, but he has yet to translate his access to the Russian leader into any breakthroughs on Ukraine.
[…]
A number of those people argue that the war is much more complex than Trump’s confidant seems to grasp, and blame him for American efforts that have yet to net any meaningful concessions from Moscow.
“His inexperience shines through, he has the president’s ear, which is evident, but there has been some confusion about what has been said and agreed,” said a person familiar with the diplomatic effort.
[…]
“He’s kind of a rogue actor,” said a U.S. official familiar with Witkoff’s diplomatic style. “He talks to all these people, but no one knows what he says in any of these meetings. He will say things publicly but then he changes his mind. It’s hard to operationalize that.”
Witkoff’s Washington office is sparsely staffed, and short on people with Russia expertise or experienced in complex diplomatic negotiations. And he has refused to do typical consultations with Russia and Ukraine experts in and outside of government, according to the five people familiar with internal discussions.
It’s clear that he has no idea what he’s doing.
“The thing is, Witkoff isn’t consistently engaged. He will pop in for a visit to Vladimir Putin, say a bunch of stuff, not tell anyone what really happened and then just fuck off to his life again. Meanwhile, the Russians are talking to you about how ‘Witkoff says…’ and you don’t know whether they’re right or not, but you can’t get a readout from the Russians,” the U.S. official said.
Witkoff at times appears to struggle to focus on more than one task at a time, the U.S. official and another one of the people said, adding that when a flurry of developments occurs in one portfolio, say Gaza or Iran or Ukraine, other priorities take a backseat. He is not a voracious consumer of his intelligence briefing materials and doesn’t read them every day, the second person said.
He’s a real estate buddy of Donald Trump’s. That’s all he is. And even the Russians are frustrated with him because he’s terrible at the job:
Witkoff’s Russian interlocutors are also frustrated, particularly with his inability to properly convey Putin’s messages and red lines to Trump, according to the person familiar with his diplomatic efforts, another person familiar with the matter and the first U.S. official.
Russian officials value that Trump has sent someone who is close to the president and can speak for him, but are concerned that Witkoff doesn’t fully understand what Putin is telling him, they said.
He’s a lot like his Dear Leader.
Read the whole thing for the details of just how thoroughly he is screwing up the Ukraine war. It’s astonishing. And yet the administration stands by him 100% because he’s one of Trump’s most loyal accomplices.
If you want to know if Trump will ever get rid of him, here’s your answer: