Evidently Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was traveling the pro-Putin media circuit, appearing not only on Fox but also with Tucker Carlson where he lent additional support to Putin by criticizing Sir Keir Starmer's plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Steve Witkoff said the idea was based on a "simplistic" notion of the UK prime minister and other European leaders thinking "we have all got to be like Winston Churchill".

In an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff praised Vladimir Putin, saying he "liked" the Russian president.

"I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said. "He's super smart."

Witkoff repeated various Russian arguments, including that Ukraine was "a false country" and asked when the world would recognize occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.

Oh, and Putin told Witkoff that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".

Umm.

Putin has sent hundreds of thousands of his own people to die in a pointless war, has kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children, and murdered his political opponents but he prayed for King Donald so don't call him a "bad guy."

Anywho, these appearances were super smart negotiating tactics clearly designed to win Russian concessions ahead of this week's peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Just kidding.

* OCD: In my first Witkoff post, the subject should read: "I take him at his word".

BBC: Trump envoy Steve Witkoff dismisses Starmer plan for Ukraine

abc.net.au - US russia ukraine russia doesn t want wider war