President Donald Trump’s envoy to Russia and Ukraine says he doesn’t believe Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to invade Europe.
Envoy Steve Witkoff made the statement during a Sunday morning appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday,’ commenting on Putin’s motives on a ‘larger scale.’
‘Now I’ve been asked my opinion about what President Putin’s motives are on a larger scale. And I simply have said that I just don’t see that he wants to take all of Europe,’ Witkoff said.
‘This is a much different situation than it was in World War II. There was no NATO,’ he added. ‘I take him at his word in this sense.’
The comments come just before Witkoff is set to meet with Russian and Ukrainian delegations for indirect ceasefire talks in Saudia Arabia. Trump’s administration hopes to mediate a larger peace deal.
‘I think you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that you’ll naturally gravitate to a full-on shooting ceasefire,’ he said Sunday.
Moscow spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that there are many roadblocks that could prevent a peace deal, however.
‘We are only at the beginning of this path,’ he told reporters this weekend.
Russia launched a massive drone attack targeting Kyiv and other major cities in Ukraine overnight on Sunday, highlighting just how far there is to go before a peace agreement can be made.
Ukraine’s air force says the Russian attack involved 147 drones, 97 of which were shot down and 25 others failed to reach their targets.
Ukrainians at the scene of the attacks in Kyiv surveyed the damage done to their homes and neighborhoods on Sunday morning. Many were disparaging of the upcoming ceasefire talks, pointing to the burned-out homes destroyed in the drone attack, saying these were more indicative of Russia’s true intentions.