U.S. Vice president backs envoy amid Ukraine diplomacy uproar

• Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, found himself under fire after an interview with pro-Russian commentator Tucker Carlson. He stated, among other things, that he does not consider Putin to be a "bad person."
• Witkoff partially retracted his controversial statements regarding the annexation of Ukrainian territories by Russia,
• U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance defends Witkoff, emphasizing his successes and diplomatic skills.

"Steve Witkoff is a great guy doing an incredible job. The people sniping at him are mad that he is succeeding where they failed for 40 years," Vance wrote on platform X. "Turns out a lot of diplomacy boils down to a simple skill: don’t be an idiot," he added.

Vance spoke out in defense of one of the participants in talks with Russia, formally the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East, following criticism of his Friday interview with pro-Russian commentator Tucker Carlson.

In the interview, Witkoff claimed that he does not consider Vladimir Putin to be a "bad person," and seemed to legitimize the sham referendums conducted in the regions annexed by Russia, stating that "the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated that they want to be under Russian rule." He also approvingly recounted his conversation with Putin, in which the Russian leader told him he prayed for Donald Trump after an assassination attempt on his life. He also claimed that Russia does not want to take over all of Ukraine nor does it intend to attack NATO.

In a later interview on Sunday on Fox TV, Witkoff partially retracted his statements suggesting the legitimacy of the annexation of Ukrainian territories. He stated only that Russia claims rights over them and that he does not take sides, but reiterated that he does not consider Putin a bad person, arguing that the conflict is not "black and white". He also reiterated that Putin has no ambitions to take control over the rest of Ukraine or to attack Europe.

"I just don’t see Putin wanting to take over all of Europe. I take him at his word. I think Europeans are coming around to this view too," he said.

Statements by the main participant in negotiations with Russia drew a wave of criticism for him in both America and Europe. Commentators, including conservatives, accused Witkoff of naivety, lack of knowledge, and echoing Kremlin narratives. Conservative commentator Marc Thiessen stated on platform X that Witkoff is completely unprepared for his role.

"He’s dealing with a KGB mastermind in psyops who is playing him like a cat with a mouse in its paws," he said. His opinion was supported by Republican Congressman Don Bacon from Nebraska. Fox News commentator Brit Hume criticized Witkoff for his relativizing of Putin's crimes and aggression and for claiming that "both sides of a story and has certainly played fair with you".

"Putin is a tyrant and his political opponents are often defenestrated. I wonder what this wizard thinks is the other side of those stories," said Hume.

Trump's envoy's statements were also criticized by "The Wall Street Journal", former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and former American diplomats, while the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed that Witkoff "uncritically amplified a number of Russian demands, claims, and justifications regarding the war in Ukraine during an interview on March 21."

Witkoff, who like Trump hails from New York and the real estate industry, has been a friend of the president for many years. Although he was originally appointed as the envoy for the Middle East, he also took on a crucial role in negotiations concerning the war in Ukraine, meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin twice.