Quotes
Nice guy, but a bumbling f***king idiot … he should not be doing this alone,
NYP quoted a Trump administration official as saying
How does Witkoff divide his time with two very demanding negotiations? I think he’s a good guy, but the Iran issue is so complex that I’m hoping he is bringing more people to the team,
said Israeli security expert Danny Citrinowicz, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv
Anybody engaging in these kinds of talks with Putin would benefit from having experienced Russia hands on his or her team and bringing them along to meetings with the Kremlin,
said John Hardie, director of the Foundation for Defence of Democracy’s Russia programmeHis assumption that actors like Hamas or Iran are primarily motivated by a desire to live — and can therefore be reasoned with through direct engagement — reflects a dangerous misunderstanding of their long-term ideological goals.
Shiri Fein-Grossman, the former Head of Regional Affairs at the Israel National Security Council, said
Steve Witkoff has done incredible work securing the release of Americans detained abroad, like Marc Fogel, while leaving behind a massive business enterprise to serve his country
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly defended Witkoff, arguingIt is IMPOSSIBLE to have negotiations when you do not trust the translator
And amid reports Witkoff arrived without a translator, Ukrainian-Estonian translator Jaanika Merilo saidFor the moment, Trump has understood Putin can't be trusted. It's something that the president [Macron] repeatedly says, and tries to get through to Trump. That's our strategy right now,
confirmed an unnamed French officialZelenskyy had clearly managed to affect Trump's thinking in Rome,
said one former UK ambassador, speaking on condition of anonymity