Moscow-O special envoy by President Donald Trump broke with the longtime protocol by not employing his own interpreter for three High -level meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, choosing to rely on the Kremlin translators, a US authority, and two western authorities with knowledge of the negotiations told NBC News.
Steve Witkoff, who was charged with negotiating the end of the war in Ukraine, met with Putin in Moscow for several hours on February 11, March 13 and St. Petersburg on 11 April, and “used his translators,” one of the Western authorities said. “If they talk to each other in Russian, he does not know what he is saying,” added the employee, referring to Putin and the interpreters.
Witkoff, an ex -model and cryptocurrency merchant, does not speak Russian. Using Kremlin interpreters, he was in danger that some of the nuances in Putin’s messages were lost and he would not have been able to verify independently what was being said to him, said two former American formerly.
Anna Kelly, White House Vice Secretary, said in a statement that Witkoff “fulfills all security protocols in coordination with the State Department.” Witkoff’s team did not answer. Both the State Department and Kremlin were also asked to comment.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Putin launched his Ukraine invasion in February 2022. Trump campaigned by ending the war on the “day one” and made her one of his main priorities. Meanwhile, Putin showed little interest in ending the conflict and, in comments transmitted on Sunday, referenced Russia’s nuclear capacity as he talked about the end of the war.
The Russian leader, who is known for speaking English, communicates through an interpreter during negotiations and when he is holding official meetings. At a meeting with Witkoff on April 25, he was flanked by his special counselor Yuri Ushakov, who served as Russian ambassador in the United States between 1998 and 2008, and Kirill Dmitiev, his special envoy for investment and economic cooperation. An interpreter joined Putin’s team.
A short video of the meeting released by Kremlin shows a smiling Witkoff entering the room alone before he squeezed Putin’s hand, who is also radiant. Witkoff does not seem to be accompanied by any consultant or expert who usually supports US authorities who conduct delicate and complicated negotiations.
When a woman joined the Witkoff on the side of the table, he pointed to her and said, “Interpret? From the embassy? Okay.”
Kelly, the White House Vice -Secretary of Press, and the Witkoff team did not identify the woman when requested by NBC News. The State Department, the US embassy in Moscow and Kremlin were also asked to comment.
Michael McFaul, a US USA -Basker in Russia, said the use of the Kremlin interpreter was “a bad idea” that put Witkoff “at a true disadvantage.”
“I speak Russian and I heard Kremlin’s interpreters and US interpreters at the same meeting, and the language is never the same,” McFaul said by and email on Wednesday.
Having an interpreter in the US also guarantees a more accurate written account of the meeting for the rest of the government, known as conversation memo or “Memcon,” said McFaul, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University.
“At the end of all the meetings I participated in, I debated the interpreter to make sure we hear everything correctly, to hit the ‘memomia’. You can’t do it using a Russian employee,” he added.
Not having detailed notes on meetings can create problems for other senior members of the Trump administration, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, while trying to advance discussions, McFaul said.
“How does Kellogg know what Witkoff agreed with Putin? He only knows this through a ‘memonomy’,” he added.
Witkoff’s relationships with confidential information, as he plays a key role in an attempt to resolve not only the war in Ukraine, but also the conflict in Gaza and the nuclear agreement with Iran, also raised eyebrows.
The Witkoff plane, which he uses to fly to Russia for meetings, is not equipped with a government’s safe communication system, according to two western authorities, including one previously mentioned in this article. However, authorities said he made confidential calls from the US embassy before boarding the plane and have a safe cell phone.
NBC News approached the White House National Security Council to comment and was sent to the Witkoff team, which did not respond. The State Department was also requested to comment.
Witkoff’s efforts seem to have produced few results at the end of the war, at least on Russia’s side.
A proposal that Trump should meet with Putin on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week was nixed because there was no movement from Russia towards a cease -according to two government officials and a US employee familiar with the planning. A meeting would have dependent on Russia to agree with a cease in Ukraine, government officials said.
Separately, a European authority said intelligence assessments indicated that Putin remains committed to the maximalist goals of war in Ukraine and has no interest in reaching a negotiated agreement.
Putin said earlier that he wants Ukraine to withdraw from four regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizehzia and Kherson – that Russia illegally attached shortly after invading Ukraine in February 2022. He also insisted that Ukraine promised to join NATO, accepting restrictions by 2022.
Since its last meeting with Witkoff, the White House has signed a “economic partnership” with Ukraine that will give Washington access to some of the nation’s natural minerals and natural resources.
“Ukrainians have been cooperative, flexible, solidarity and eager to move forward, but Russians don’t,” said William Taylor, former USA Ukraine in Ukraine, and now a Tank Tank colleague from the Atlantic Council, adding that it was “standard basic practice that you have your own high-level diplomatic meetings.
Ukraine, he said, had agreed with the US proposals in a cease of the air, sea and comprehensive lands, while extending a truce to Black Sea maritime transport lanes.
A “leaf of terms” with 22 proposals, including a 30-day ceasefire, was prepared by US, European and Ukrainian negotiators, one of the Western authorities said, adding that it met Putin’s demand that the US will not support Ukraine to join OTAN.
“If Putin wants a way out, here’s the departure,” said the official about the proposals. Witkoff will have to introduce them to the Russian President, they added.
In comments published on Sunday, Putin said Russia had enough strength and resources to lead the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, although he expected no need to use nuclear weapons.
In a movie broadcast on state television entitled “Russia, Kremlin, Putin, 25,” he said, “There is no need to use these weapons … and I hope they are not necessary.”
Keir Simmons reported from Moscow. Carol Lee, Dan de Luce and Courtney Kube reported in Washington, DC