Steve Witkoff, White House senior adviser and US Special Envoy to the Middle East, revealed that President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum to both Russia and Ukraine that the US would withdraw from negotiations if both parties do not reach peace soon.
“The president has issued an ultimatum to both sides that without those direct talks and if they don’t occur quickly, then he believes the United States ought to step back from this conflict whatever that means and just not be involved,” Witkoff said in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News.
He emphasized that US withdrawal from mediating the war would produce negative outcomes for all parties involved, including Europeans, Ukrainians, and Russians.
“It’s bad for the Europeans, it’s bad for the Ukrainians, and I don’t think it’s good for the Russians. I think the Russians actually do want a peaceful settlement, and both sides are trying to figure out what that means for them. Our job is to put them in a room together and show them that the alternatives to a peaceful resolution here are bad for everybody,” Witkoff said.
Witkoff outlines that several major issues remain to be resolved, including territorial disputes over five regions in Ukraine, two of which are fully occupied and three – partially, the status of the currently offline Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and Ukrainian access to crucial waterways via the Black Sea. Witkoff described the nuclear plant as “a little bit of a crown jewel” because of its electricity production capacity.
We want to be direct and at the bargaining table directly, but we’re in a conversation about what you would accept, Russia, in some of these areas. Would you retreat back behind certain administrative lines? The same thing with the Ukrainians. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is a big part of this discussion because it’s a little bit of a crown jewel and it’s been closed, but we need to reopen that because it delivers a lot of electricity into some of the cities in Kyiv. These are sort of the issues,” Witkoff said.
Despite facing criticism for his April meeting with Putin, he remains convinced it was the correct approach and was conducted at Trump’s direction.
“There is no deal without President Putin’s sign off. He is the leader of the Russian Federation, so the notion of not talking to President Putin is somehow something people are against, I don’t understand that logic.”
After Witkoff talked to Putin, he made statements that Russia could retain control over four Ukrainian oblasts (Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson) based on their Russian-speaking populations, which Ukrainian officials criticized as a promotion of Russian propaganda.
He emphasized the necessity of direct communication with all stakeholders rather than relying on secondhand information. Witkoff explained that understanding each party’s needs is essential to facilitating compromises. He noted that these assessments are being made on behalf of President Trump, who Witkoff described as “the ultimate decision-maker” in the peace process.
Regarding Europe’s reaction, Germany issued a stern ultimatum to Russia, demanding it agree to a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of 12 May, warning that failure to comply will lead to preparations for new sanctions coordinated with European partners.
Earlier, Trump also mentioned the possibility of additional sanctions if Russia does not agree to an unconditional ceasefire.
