A senior envoy for Donald Trump has been accused of making a series of blunders during peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, according to a report by the Kyiv Independent.
The unnamed official allegedly displayed a basic lack of knowledge about the conflict, including errors about the war's duration and start date, and mistakenly claiming that Ukraine has a vice-president. The talks, the first trilateral negotiations since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, are set to continue this weekend.
One reported comment included: 'General [Kyrylo] Budanov is now their vice-president.' Ukraine does not have a vice-president; Budanov was recently appointed head of the president's office. The official also reportedly said: 'I think it's the longest war now. It was longer than World War II.' World War II lasted from 1939 to 1945, while Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022, though conflict in the Donbas region dates back to 2014.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliament foreign affairs committee, described the alleged comments as a 'serious problem' and 'troubling', adding that the envoy viewed 'territorial issues as real estate'.
A White House spokesperson dismissed the claims as 'nonsense', asserting that Trump and his team have 'done more than anyone to stop the killing'. The talks were led by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, army secretary Dan Driscoll and other officials.
