Trump’s Envoy Dismisses Starmer’s Ukraine Plan as "Posture and Pose"

[Social Media]

 

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Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has rejected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal for an international force to oversee a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it "a posture and a pose." Speaking in an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff criticized the idea as "simplistic," accusing Starmer and other European leaders of trying to emulate Winston Churchill.

VIDEO: “Britain is a country dying economically, with an entire military smaller than the US Marine Corps.” Tucker Carlson asks Steve Witkoff what is behind Starmer’s posing and posturing over the war in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/g8yLU1AiB3 #Starmer #Ukraine #Russia #Zelensky

— Manchester Chronicle 🐝 (@WithyGrove) March 22, 2025

 

During the interview, Witkoff spoke highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he "liked" him and did not consider him a "bad guy." He described Putin as "super smart" and shared details of a recent meeting between them that took place ten days prior. According to Witkoff, Putin had been "gracious" and "straight up" in their discussions. He also claimed that Putin had prayed for Trump after last year's assassination attempt on him and had commissioned a portrait of the former U.S. president as a gift. "Trump was clearly touched by it," Witkoff added.

 

 

Throughout the discussion, Witkoff echoed several Russian narratives, including the claim that Ukraine was "a false country" and questioned when the world would recognize the occupied regions of Ukraine as Russian. Although he leads the U.S. ceasefire negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia, he struggled to name all five Ukrainian regions that Russia has annexed or partially occupied. "The largest issue in that conflict are these so-called four regions, Donbas, Crimea, you know the names and there are two others," he stated. The five regions in question—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea—comprise significant parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

 

Witkoff made several assertions that have been widely disputed or debunked. He claimed that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in the Kursk region, a claim denied by Ukraine’s government and not supported by any available evidence. He also stated that referendums in the occupied regions showed overwhelming support for Russian rule, even though such referendums, held at different times, have been widely discredited by international observers. Additionally, he suggested that these regions were Russian-speaking, implying that this justified Russia’s occupation. While many people in Ukraine do speak Russian, this has never been a reliable indicator of support for Russian governance.

 

He further justified Russia’s full-scale invasion by arguing that, from a Russian perspective, the occupied territories were already part of Russia. "The elephant in the room is, there are constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede to with regard to giving up territory. The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?" he asked.

 

Witkoff also stated that Russia’s view of Ukraine as an artificial creation was central to the conflict. "There’s a sensibility in Russia that Ukraine is just a false country, that they just patched together in this sort of mosaic, these regions, and that’s what is the root cause, in my opinion, of this war. Russia regards those five regions as rightfully theirs since World War Two, and that’s something nobody wants to talk about."

 

Putin has consistently framed the war as a response to NATO expansion and the mere existence of Ukraine as an independent nation. Witkoff, however, argued that Russia had already achieved its objectives. "Why would they want to absorb Ukraine? For what purpose? They don’t need to absorb Ukraine… They have reclaimed these five regions. They have Crimea, and they have gotten what they want. So why do they need more?"

 

When asked about Starmer’s plan to form a "coalition of the willing" to provide military security guarantees for Ukraine after the war, Witkoff dismissed it as both performative and naive. "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."

 

He revealed that a ceasefire in the Black Sea was expected "over the next week or so" and suggested that a full 30-day ceasefire was "not far away." He also shared insights into Trump’s long-term vision for U.S.-Russia cooperation once relations are normalized. "Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together? Thinking about how to integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share sea lines maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?"

 

Based on a report by BBC  2025-03-24

 

 

[dantho]

1 hour ago, Social Media said:

 

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Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has rejected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal for an international force to oversee a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it "a posture and a pose." Speaking in an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson, Witkoff criticized the idea as "simplistic," accusing Starmer and other European leaders of trying to emulate Winston Churchill.

 

During the interview, Witkoff spoke highly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he "liked" him and did not consider him a "bad guy." He described Putin as "super smart" and shared details of a recent meeting between them that took place ten days prior. According to Witkoff, Putin had been "gracious" and "straight up" in their discussions. He also claimed that Putin had prayed for Trump after last year's assassination attempt on him and had commissioned a portrait of the former U.S. president as a gift. "Trump was clearly touched by it," Witkoff added.

 

 

Throughout the discussion, Witkoff echoed several Russian narratives, including the claim that Ukraine was "a false country" and questioned when the world would recognize the occupied regions of Ukraine as Russian. Although he leads the U.S. ceasefire negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia, he struggled to name all five Ukrainian regions that Russia has annexed or partially occupied. "The largest issue in that conflict are these so-called four regions, Donbas, Crimea, you know the names and there are two others," he stated. The five regions in question—Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea—comprise significant parts of eastern and southern Ukraine.

 

Witkoff made several assertions that have been widely disputed or debunked. He claimed that Ukrainian troops were surrounded in the Kursk region, a claim denied by Ukraine’s government and not supported by any available evidence. He also stated that referendums in the occupied regions showed overwhelming support for Russian rule, even though such referendums, held at different times, have been widely discredited by international observers. Additionally, he suggested that these regions were Russian-speaking, implying that this justified Russia’s occupation. While many people in Ukraine do speak Russian, this has never been a reliable indicator of support for Russian governance.

 

He further justified Russia’s full-scale invasion by arguing that, from a Russian perspective, the occupied territories were already part of Russia. "The elephant in the room is, there are constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede to with regard to giving up territory. The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?" he asked.

 

Witkoff also stated that Russia’s view of Ukraine as an artificial creation was central to the conflict. "There’s a sensibility in Russia that Ukraine is just a false country, that they just patched together in this sort of mosaic, these regions, and that’s what is the root cause, in my opinion, of this war. Russia regards those five regions as rightfully theirs since World War Two, and that’s something nobody wants to talk about."

 

Putin has consistently framed the war as a response to NATO expansion and the mere existence of Ukraine as an independent nation. Witkoff, however, argued that Russia had already achieved its objectives. "Why would they want to absorb Ukraine? For what purpose? They don’t need to absorb Ukraine… They have reclaimed these five regions. They have Crimea, and they have gotten what they want. So why do they need more?"

 

When asked about Starmer’s plan to form a "coalition of the willing" to provide military security guarantees for Ukraine after the war, Witkoff dismissed it as both performative and naive. "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."

 

He revealed that a ceasefire in the Black Sea was expected "over the next week or so" and suggested that a full 30-day ceasefire was "not far away." He also shared insights into Trump’s long-term vision for U.S.-Russia cooperation once relations are normalized. "Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together? Thinking about how to integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share sea lines maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?"

 

Based on a report by BBC  2025-03-24

 

 

Yet another reason for the UK and Europe to stand together and tell the Orange Turd to step away from the negotiations otherwise Uktaine will cease to exist as a sovereign State. Putin invaded the country as an act of. war and we must stand up to him and supply Ukraine with whatever they need to beat Putin. If we do not do this then Putin will invade yet more European countries.

[newbee2022]

33 minutes ago, dantho said:

Yet another reason for the UK and Europe to stand together and tell the Orange Turd to step away from the negotiations otherwise Uktaine will cease to exist as a sovereign State. Putin invaded the country as an act of. war and we must stand up to him and supply Ukraine with whatever they need to beat Putin. If we do not do this then Putin will invade yet more European countries.

"supply Ukraine with whatever they need to beat Putin"

 

Too late. And wrong from the beginning. 

[Chomper Higgot]

“Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together? Thinking about how to integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share sea lines maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?"

 

Since when was collaborating to overthrow a sovereign state a ‘good thing’.

 

He does however let the cat out of the bag.

 

Oil, Gas and AI.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gweiloman]

51 minutes ago, dantho said:

Yet another reason for the UK and Europe to stand together and tell the Orange Turd to step away from the negotiations otherwise Uktaine will cease to exist as a sovereign State. Putin invaded the country as an act of. war and we must stand up to him and supply Ukraine with whatever they need to beat Putin. If we do not do this then Putin will invade yet more European countries.

Why does Putin want to invade more European countries? And specifically, which countries?

[Paul Henry]

Putin prayed for Trump.The man who kills and kidnaps countless people let alone the billions of rubles he has stolen from the citizens of other countries as well as his own people I would like to know which god he prays  too. I don't know why he would pray for Trump as God has sent Trump to continue the work of Jesus,just ask MAGA.

[rudi49jr]

This is the guy who said about Putin that he is ‘not a bad guy’, and that after meeting Putin for the first time Witkoff felt like they had already developed a friendship. What a moron.

Trump and his sycophants, like Vance, Hegseth and Rubio, are only interested in doing business again with Russia, it’s all about the almighty dollar. That this may mean having to throw Ukraine and its population under the bus is just a minor hiccup to these people, who have no honor, no morals, and absolutely no shame.

Same goes for Gaza. Displacing 2 million Palestinians and sending them into  exile, so American businesses can develop ‘the Riviera of the Middle East’. It’s just absolutely disgraceful.

[rudi49jr]

3 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Why does Putin want to invade more European countries? And specifically, which countries?

It’s not exactly a secret that Putin wants to go back to the situation of before 1989, when Russia was still the Soviet Union, which had total control over all eastern European countries. You do the math.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, dantho said:

Yet another reason for the UK and Europe to stand together and tell the Orange Turd to step away from the negotiations otherwise Uktaine will cease to exist as a sovereign State. Putin invaded the country as an act of. war and we must stand up to him and supply Ukraine with whatever they need to beat Putin. If we do not do this then Putin will invade yet more European countries.

I'm sure they will welcome your presence  in the front lines then, or is that for other people to support your war lust?

If too old for the trenches, you can help out behind the lines. Don't make excuses, get out from behind your screen and just do it.

 

PS, I guarantee that you wouldn't say that to Trump's face.

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Why does Putin want to invade more European countries? And specifically, which countries?

Good question, but don't expect an answer.

[thaibeachlovers]

6 hours ago, Social Media said:

Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has rejected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal for an international force to oversee a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it "a posture and a pose."

I wasn't aware that Starmer was being serious. I thought it was a dream he had, when the UK had BAOR.

[Harrisfan]

3 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Good question, but don't expect an answer.

He's Hitler 2

[SunnyinBangrak]

Starmer snd Lammy are the ultimate lightweights. So out of their depth here. Are they thinking of sending their beloved dinghy sailors to fight the naughty Wussians to show their love and appreciation for the country that welcomed them to a life on bennies?

[BusyB]

17 hours ago, Social Media said:

Although he leads the U.S. ceasefire negotiations with both Ukraine and Russia, he struggled to name all five Ukrainian regions that Russia has annexed or partially occupied. "The largest issue in that conflict are these so-called four regions, Donbas, Crimea, you know the names and there are two others,"

 

What a surprise.

 

Not.

 

[bannork]

34 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

What a surprise.

 

Not.

 

The man is a real estate investor. Zero experience in geo politics as shown by his ignorant remarks.

[BusyB]

15 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm sure they will welcome your presence  in the front lines then, or is that for other people to support your war lust?

If too old for the trenches, you can help out behind the lines. Don't make excuses, get out from behind your screen and just do it.

 

PS, I guarantee that you wouldn't say that to Trump's face.

 

Why not? Trump is a rank coward. All bullies are cowards at heart. He has shown this again and again. Fight fight fight my backside.

[Red Forever]

17 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I'm sure they will welcome your presence  in the front lines then, or is that for other people to support your war lust?

If too old for the trenches, you can help out behind the lines. Don't make excuses, get out from behind your screen and just do it.

 

PS, I guarantee that you wouldn't say that to Trump's face.

Your sycophantic support for the cowardly orange turd is predictable .

[thaibeachlovers]

21 hours ago, BusyB said:

 

Why not? Trump is a rank coward. All bullies are cowards at heart. He has shown this again and again. Fight fight fight my backside.

Seriously? You know that if you attacked Trump you'd be dead or in prison for life. Stop the BS bluster.

 

What you can do though is go fight for what you believe in- so will you?

 

 

[Stargeezr]

Trump cries wolf, about the tarrifs. Trump is also the only president that I know of who has ticked off

most leaders of the world, he is also the first one to threaten his neighbours with plans to try take over their 

countries. Just remember that it was Americans who voted Donald Trump into power as president.

  I do.