From: Kyiv Independent by Martin Fornusek and Chris York
Steve Witkoff’s controversial comments on the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine have prompted criticism from Ukrainian lawmakers, with one even calling for the envoy’s removal from the negotiations to end Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy on the Middle East and a key figure in the Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, told far-right commentator Tucker Carlsonon March 21 that Ukrainians living in occupied territories want to live under Russian rule, as they have demonstrated in “referendums.”
The real estate investor-turned-negotiator called Donbas, Crimea, and “two others” — presumably referring to Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts — a key issue in the Russia–Ukraine war.
“They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule,” Witkoff added, omitting that Russia’s sham referendums were effectively held at gunpoint.
“In his statements, Witkoff calls into question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent, adding: “Such statements are absolutely unacceptable and go against U.S. policy toward Ukraine.”
“That’s why it would be better if President Trump recalled Witkoff from the American delegation. Otherwise, it creates the wrong impression about U.S. foreign policy.”
Voice of Ukraine 