NBC: Trump's man uses Kremlin translators in meetings with Putin

Vitkoff is in charge of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and has met with the Russian president several times in recent months.

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Vitkof and Putin, Photo: REUTERS
Vitkof and Putin, Photo: REUTERS
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff violated long-standing protocol and used Kremlin interpreters at three high-level meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which, according to officials, put him at a "serious disadvantage", NBC News reports.

Vitkoff, an American real estate billionaire and cryptocurrency trader, is in charge of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and has met with Putin several times in recent months.

But NBC reported, citing one American and two Western officials, that during the hours-long meetings on February 11, March 13 and April 11, Witkoff did not use his interpreters. "If they speak Russian, he doesn't know what they're saying," said one Western official.

"Translation is never the same"

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said that Vitkoff's decision not to use his own translator in meetings with Putin was a "very bad idea". "I speak Russian and I've listened to Kremlin translators and American translators in the same meeting - and the translation is never the same," McFaul told NBC News.

When asked by NBC News, White House deputy spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that Witkoff "is following all security protocols in coordination with the State Department."

US President Donald Trump is increasingly frustrated with his failure to secure a ceasefire in Russia's war in Ukraine. While his administration has sought to develop warmer relations with Moscow, Trump has backed a proposal by Ukraine and its European allies for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which would begin on May 12, and has threatened tougher sanctions on Russia if Putin refuses.

Putin did not accept that proposal. Instead, he invited Ukraine to direct negotiations to be held on May 15 in Istanbul.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Russia to confirm an unconditional ceasefire that would begin on Monday, May 12, saying that Ukraine would then be ready for a meeting and negotiations.

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