The true colours of Trumps regime coming out re Ukraine now?
Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to Russia, quoted in an interview:
"Witkoff, who met Putin 10 days ago, said the Russian president had been "gracious" and "straight up" with him.
Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".
During the interview, Witkoff repeated various Russian arguments, including that Ukraine was "a false country" and asked when the world would recognise occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian
Witkoff is leading the US ceasefire negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine but he was unable to name the five regions of Ukraine either annexed or partially occupied by Russian forces."
True face of attitudes despite weeks of pressure in Ukraine to concede to mineral rights in order to bargain for cease fire?
*The article headlined with an accusation by Witkoff accusing Starmer of "posturing like Churchill" in his work with other European leaders trying to work on a "group of the willing" to provide back up to hold a ceasefire.
This attack on Europe doesn't surprise me - part of the Trump armoury of the put down and divide and rule, and small thanks for Starmers role in keeping Zelensky talking after the bullying at the hands of trump and Vance.
On this, Witkoff said, "I think it’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like [British wartime prime minister] Winston Churchill. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way. We have something called Nato that we did not have in World War Two"
As if we weren't aware of this - we are working within the confines of NATO.
Starmer this morning did not rise to the bait "Asked if the PM would deny that he is posturing, the spokesperson said Starmer was focused on the substance of the operational planning phase of the coalition of the willing"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62zm4eqvp7o
