"Very bad idea": Trump envoy breaks protocol at Putin meeting to end the Ukraine war

Astrid Lund - Betty MacDonald fan club organizer: "I'm speechless at this behavior from Trump and his chaotic crew! Every small amateur club is better managed and acts more professionally!"------------------------------------------------- Frankfurter Rundschau "Very bad idea": Trump envoy breaks protocol at Putin meeting to end the Ukraine war Bettina Menzel • 5 hrs • 3 mins read Mistakes in negotiations? Trump's special envoy adopts Russian narratives on Ukraine – and relies on a Kremlin official in a meeting with Putin. Moscow – US President Donald Trump originally appointed Steve Witkoff as special envoy for the Middle East. Despite his lack of diplomatic experience and expertise, the 68-year-old also took on responsibilities in the negotiations on the Ukraine war over time. Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin several times – and reportedly made several mistakes. Among other things, the US special envoy violated a long-standing protocol. At Putin meeting to end the Ukraine war: Witkoff does not use his own translator During the meetings with the Kremlin chief on February 11, March 13, and April 11 in Russia, Witkoff relied on the Kremlin's translator, a US official and two other Western officials told NBC News. This put the former real estate investor at risk of missing nuances in Putin's messages. Furthermore, he was unable to independently verify the statements, the sources added. Using the Kremlin's interpreter was "a very bad idea" that put Witkoff "at a real disadvantage," commented Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia. "I speak Russian and have listened to both Kremlin and US interpreters at the same meeting, and the language is never the same," McFaul told NBC News. Experts believe that using a dedicated translator also ensures that U.S. government officials not present at the meeting receive an accurate transcript of the conversation, a so-called MEMCON (Memorandum of Conversation). At the end of each meeting, he and the translator ensured "that we understood everything correctly and that the 'MEMCON' was exactly right. That's not possible with a Russian official," McFaul explained. An incorrect transcript of the conversation could cause problems in subsequent negotiations. Alone in the negotiating room and no expertise: Did Witkoff make other mistakes? That was apparently not Witkoff's only mistake during the meetings with Putin. A video from April 25 shows the U.S. special envoy entering the negotiating room alone. It is customary to be accompanied by advisors or experts who can assist in complex negotiations. Experts have already criticized the U.S. special envoy for his lack of expertise. Witkoff had "uncritically adopted several inaccurate Russian claims" regarding Ukraine, according to a situation report by the US think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW). In an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump's special envoy had stated that Russia had "recaptured five regions in Ukraine." In fact, Moscow had occupied the Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as the Crimean peninsula, in violation of international law. The Kremlin held sham referendums in four regions in 2022 to create the illusion of legitimacy for the annexation. "Witkoff's statement about the 'recapture' of these territories [...] reinforces the Kremlin's justifications for its expansionist territorial claims," ​​the ISW experts further criticized. Was the US being fooled? Translator apparently also works for Moscow's foreign intelligence service The video reveals another detail: At the beginning, Witkoff points to a woman at the table and asks, "Interpreter?", to which Putin confirms. "From the embassy?" the US special envoy continues, and this is also confirmed. So, did Witkoff believe the translator had been sent to him by the US embassy in Moscow? According to research by investigative journalist Khristo Grozev, she is a government-appointed translator who, in addition to Putin, also translates for other high-ranking Russian politicians, as well as for the head of the Russian foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, which Grozev finds "disturbing." The question, according to Grozev, is: Did Witkoff really think she had been sent by the US embassy? Or—which, according to the expert, "is perhaps even worse"—was the US government even being fooled? Anna Kelly, the White House deputy press secretary, said Witkoff had followed "all security protocols in coordination with the State Department." However, when contacted by NBC News, Kelly did not provide any information.