White House special envoy Steve Witkoff has been a problem for me from the start of his tenure, as I think he is hurting the Trump administration more than helping it.
He made comments last week prior to Donald Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that were apparently wrong, as he either misunderstood his Russian counterpart or was just not paying attention.
Now, after yet more suspect comments from Witkoff, a Russian strike took out an American factory in Ukraine.
After the summit in Alaska, Witkoff could not wait to go to the media and brag about concessions allegedly made by Russia.
He stated, "I don't want to delve into the specifics of what was discussed because we're in a negotiation, mediating, and I think we're going to be very successful because of the leadership of President Trump.”
He continued, "But there were concessions almost immediately made on the part of the Russians in the first meeting in Alaska. And, you know, part of getting those concessions was learning whether we were going to be able to see the Russians prepared to be more accommodating."
Now, once negotiations are over and you have a signed document, that might be appropriate, but when you are still talking things over, you don’t rub it in your adversary’s face. When I read those comments, I all but knew this was going to blow back in his face.
After he made those comments, it was reported that a Russian drone crashed near the Polish border.
Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who also serves as defense minister, responded, "Once again, we are dealing with a provocation by the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone. We are dealing with it in a crucial moment, when discussions about peace (in Ukraine) are underway.”
This came after Russia hit Ukraine with another massive drone and missile strike, which resulted in more than a dozen deaths.
After I saw those two reports, I reasoned that Russia was likely conducting these attacks to put pressure on Ukraine to take a deal once it is on the table, or face the consequences.
Now, another strike has taken place, but this time, U.S. interests were hit, as an American factory was obliterated in the attack. These missiles have pinpoint accuracy, so there is simply no way I will ever buy into the idea that Putin had no idea this was an American facility.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented, "Last night, the Russian army set one of its insane anti-records. They targeted civilian infrastructure facilities, residential buildings, and our people. Several cruise missiles were lobbed against an American-owned enterprise in Zakarpattia. He then stated that this was "a regular civilian business, supported by American investment, producing everyday items like coffee machines."
Zelensky then added, "And yet, it was also a target for the Russians. This is very telling.”
He’s right, because this is indeed “very telling.” I believe this was in response to Witkoff running his mouth, with Putin now puffing out his chest to show that he is not conceding anything. This has surely changed Trump’s attitude, but if I were in his shoes, I would be calling Witkoff into the Oval Office and slapping some tape on his mouth. He broke the golden rule of diplomacy, an American-owned business paid the price, and the peace talks are now at risk.
