White House envoy Steve Witkoff has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in glowing terms, calling him trustworthy and revealing that Putin had prayed for his “friend,” US President Donald Trump, after the latter was shot in 2024.
Witkoff met with Putin for several hours last week in Moscow, where they discussed potential pathways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Witkoff described the talks as constructive and “solution-oriented,” emphasizing that they were focused on finding common ground.
In an interview with right-wing podcast host Tucker Carlson, Witkoff stated that he had come to view Putin not as a “bad guy” but as a “great” leader working to resolve the ongoing conflict with Kyiv. “I liked him. I thought he was straight up with me,” Witkoff said in the interview aired on Friday. “I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. The war is a complex situation with many contributing factors.”
Witkoff also shared a personal story from his conversation with Putin, in which the Russian president recounted his reaction to the assassination attempt on Trump during a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to Witkoff, Putin explained that he had gone to his local church to pray for Trump, not because of any political gain, but out of genuine friendship. “He told me a story about how when the president was shot, he went to his church, met with his priest, and prayed for the president — not because he could become president of the United States, but because he considered him a friend,” Witkoff recalled.
Witkoff also noted that Putin had commissioned a “beautiful portrait” of Trump from a leading Russian artist, which he asked Witkoff to deliver to the former president. “It was such a gracious moment,” Witkoff remarked.
The envoy’s effusive praise of Putin contrasts sharply with the more critical stance typically taken by the US government, particularly under previous administrations. This reflects the shift in Washington’s approach to Moscow since Trump’s second term in office.
Witkoff further commented on the ongoing war in Ukraine, stating that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing difficult choices. He suggested that Zelensky should recognize the urgency of negotiating a deal with Russia, given the pressure Ukraine is under. “Zelensky is in a very, very difficult situation, but he’s up against a nuclear nation,” Witkoff said. “He needs to understand that, eventually, he’s going to be ground down. Now is the best time for him to get a deal done.”
Witkoff’s remarks were delivered on friendly turf, as Carlson has previously conducted a soft interview with Putin and has been known for promoting pro-Kremlin narratives in the United States.
AFP
