Ukrainian President Voldimia Zelensky denounced Steve Witkov, who used it as “promoting the Russian story” after American diplomats made controversial comments about the occupied parts of Ukraine.
At a press conference on Thursday, Zelensky accused Witkov of taking “a Russian strategy.”
“I think it’s very dangerous because he’s spreading the Russian story consciously or unconsciously. Either way, that won’t help,” he said.
Witkov promoted recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (the third meeting with Russian leader) in an interview with Fox News on Monday, describing the meeting as “convincing.”
Witkov told Fox News that the Ukrainian peace agreement will concentrate on “the five territories,” referring to Crimea, the Ukrainian Peninsula Russia, which was annexed in 2014, and the four mainlands of Russia, which have been occupied since the full-scale invasion of Donetsk, Zapolizia and Herson, since the full-scale invasion of Donetsk, Zapolizia and Herson.
Some background: these four regions were illegally annexed during a full-scale Russian invasion, and Kiev is opposed to giving them vigorously away. The Kremlin then held a referendum on joining Russia in these regions, which were widely rejected as fakes by the international community.
CNN previously reported that the local vote was held at muzzle, with one resident saying the outcome is a reasonable conclusion.
Witkov’s comments on Monday prompted accusations that he was trying to parrot the Moscow line. Oleksandr Meretzko, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, told CNN that Witkov “may be trying to “fake all the righteous respect… by mistake, pushing the Russian narrative.”
Remember: It’s not the first time Witkov has been accused of reflecting the Kremlin topic. In a lengthy interview with podcast host Tucker Carlson last month, Witkov praised Putin, dismissing years of concern across Europe, and Putin tries to invade more territory if given the opportunity. He also argued that referendums in the four mainland regions of Ukraine, annexed by Russia, “showed that the overwhelming majority of people were under Russian control.”