Zelenskyy says that "something went wrong with Witkoff"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed concerns about communication issues with Steve Witkoff, US President's Special Envoy for the Middle East.

Zelenskyy noted in an interview with German newspaper Spiegel that he has never spoken directly with Trump’s envoy. 

"I invited all the security advisers, and they were all ready to engage–but it seems something went wrong with Witkoff. I haven’t spoken to Witkoff on the phone. My team met him in Paris, and the head of my presidential office, Andrii Yermak, talked with him," he said.

When asked if he had been in contact with US Vice President JD Vance following a reported row in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy responded that he had not.

Reuters previously reported that some of Witkoff’s actions and statements regarding the resolution of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine have drawn criticism from the White House and Republican circles.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Witkoff’s remarks about possibly including Ukrainian territories in a peace deal serve to amplify Russian narratives.