Kyiv and Moscow both reportedly frustrated with US envoy Witkoff as peace talks stall

Why it matters

If both sides of the conflict have lost confidence in the chief US mediator, the diplomatic track to end the war faces a serious credibility problem. Witkoff's reported misinterpretation of Putin's "3+2" territorial formula points to a significant communication gap in US-Russia negotiations, and the apparent efforts to remove him or dilute his role suggest internal friction within the US mediation team. Ukrainian concerns about whether Washington accurately understands Russian intentions on territorial questions raise the stakes for Kyiv at a particularly sensitive phase of the talks.

What happened

Sources familiar with the negotiations told the Kyiv Independent that both the Ukrainian and Russian sides are dissatisfied with US special envoy Steve Witkoff's performance. Kyiv views him as incompetent and too soft toward Russia, while Moscow holds him responsible for the United States' failure to push Ukraine into territorial concessions.

Several specific incidents were described. At one meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader wrote "3+2" on a piece of paper; when Witkoff asked what it meant, Putin showed him the sheet. The notation refers to the five regions Russia wants Ukraine to cede: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, plus Crimea. Witkoff took the paper back to Washington.

Witkoff reportedly told President Donald Trump that Putin was open to a deal under which Ukraine would withdraw from parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts while Russia would withdraw from the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia it controls. American officials later concluded that Witkoff had misread Putin's "3+2" proposal and that the Russian president was not prepared for such mutual concessions. When American officials shared Witkoff's account with Ukrainian and European colleagues, Kyiv reacted with skepticism and quickly identified a miscommunication.

Witkoff attended at least one meeting with Putin without an American translator. During trilateral talks, he sometimes left the room without telling other participants where he was going, and one source described him as more interested in restaurants and short walks than in the negotiations. Ukrainian officials believe Witkoff did not sufficiently understand the territorial issues he was being asked to negotiate.

According to sources briefed by Ukrainian intelligence, Russian officials blame Witkoff in part for the failure of last year's Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. A Ukrainian official also attributed later problems in US-Russia diplomacy to Witkoff, including the collapse of a 28-point memorandum he worked on with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Several efforts are reportedly underway to remove Witkoff or to disrupt his working relationship with Dmitriev, but Trump does not appear to be in a hurry to replace him.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly rejected the reporting, calling it "fake news and nonsense" and saying Trump and Witkoff are working hard to end the conflict.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

The reporting, drawn from Ukrainian sources and published in Ukrainian outlets, centers on Witkoff's alleged incompetence, his misreading of Putin's signals, his unprofessional behavior during talks, and the damage this has done to Ukraine's negotiating position. The framing emphasizes concerns that the US envoy does not accurately convey the territorial stakes to Washington and presents efforts to remove him or reduce his role as a potential path to more effective mediation.

Where reporting differs

The White House rejected the reporting outright as "fake news and nonsense," while unnamed Ukrainian, Russian, and other sources described widespread dissatisfaction with Witkoff and recounted specific incidents of miscommunication and unprofessional conduct. The underlying claims rely on anonymous sources, and the Financial Times' earlier report that the White House was considering expanding CIA Director John Ratcliffe's role at Witkoff's expense was also denied at the time.

Background

The "3+2" notation Putin wrote on paper refers to the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, plus Crimea — that Russia demands be ceded by Ukraine. A 28-point memorandum that Witkoff worked on with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev reportedly failed, with a Ukrainian official blaming Witkoff for subsequent problems in US-Russia relations. The Financial Times previously reported that the White House was considering increasing CIA Director John Ratcliffe's role in the Russia-Ukraine negotiations by reducing Witkoff's and Jared Kushner's involvement; the White House denied that reporting.