Trump's special envoy stated that after his trip to Russia, he formed a "friendship" with Putin.

The U.S. Special Representative for Middle East Issues, Steve Witkoff, stated that he has developed a "friendship" with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. He visited Moscow last week.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing Witkoff, as quoted by Sky News.

Witkoff traveled to Moscow last week to retrieve Mark Vogel, an American teacher imprisoned in Russia, who was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony for alleged drug smuggling.

The U.S. Special Representative at the investment forum in Miami mentioned that he formed a friendship with Putin during the trip.

"Firstly, I had the support of President Trump, which is very important. Secondly, we have very good relations with the Saudis... They assured us that this is real... and for me, it was worth the trip. So we went. It was a wonderful trip. I spent a lot of time with President Putin, talked, developed a friendship, a relationship with him, and this led to Mark getting on the plane," Witkoff said.

In an interview with Sky News during the investment conference, Witkoff stated that he agrees with Trump’s criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"I think I agree with President Trump; he has a very sharp sense of what needs to be done to create a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine," he added.

Witkoff's Role in the Negotiations

Earlier, U.S. Special Representative Keith Kellogg explained that the U.S. is working in two directions to resolve the war. He noted that he is responsible for contacts with Ukraine and Europe during the negotiations. His colleague Steve Witkoff is in charge of the Russian direction.

It is known that Witkoff participated in negotiations between U.S. and Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia on February 18.

For more information on the negotiations and the outcomes of the meeting, refer to the material from RBC-Ukraine.