Let it not be forgotten that :-
- In 1768 Catherine the Great, that minor German Princess who married into Russian aristocracy, invaded Crimea,
- Stalin created the famine in Ukraine in 1933, and starved millions of Ukrainians during what has come to be known as the "Holodomor",
- and Putin invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014, invaded the Donbas in 2014, and ignited the current Russia-Ukraine war in 2023.
And in November 2025 we have Steve Witkoff, Trump's longtime friend and golf partner since the 1980's.
US Congressional Representative Don Bacon, writing on X, likened Witkoff (left, with Putin) to "a Russian paid agent" in light of,
" ... it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians. He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired." (X: 25 November 2025) (my emphasis)
As Michelle L. Price and Aamer Madhani reported in March 2025,
"Witkoff, who runs a real estate development and investment firm, is a longtime friend and golf partner of Trump. (right: Trump and Witkoff)
Witkoff first met Trump in the 1980s, when he worked for a real estate law firm that handled a deal for Trump, himself a real estate developer, according to testimony Witkoff gave in the president’s civil fraud trial in 2023." (AP: 13 March 2025) (my emphasis)
Notwithstanding the questions being raised about the health and mental deterioration of Trump, as reported by Will Neal (Daily Beast: 24 November 2025); it would seem as though Steve Witkoff almost controls Trump's pronouncements supporting Putin's demands of LEGALLY annexing the Ukrainian lands Russian troops occupy, as well as removing Ukraine's control from the rest of the Donbas that Ukraine still controls.
This is exemplified by the reporting of Meduza that,
The transcripts show Witkoff speaking warmly with his Kremlin counterparts and offering Ushakov advice on how Putin could present his position to Trump. They also imply that Dmitriev passed along a list of Russia’s demands for a peace plan." (Meduza: 26 November 2025) (my emphasis)
"President Vladimir Putin has doubled down on his core demands for ending the war in Ukraine, saying Russia will lay down arms only if Kyiv's troops withdraw from territory claimed by Moscow.
…
"If they don't withdraw, we'll achieve this by force of arms," [Putin] said.
…
A US delegation including special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected in Moscow in the first half of next week, [Putin] confirmed. US President Donald Trump told reporters that Witkoff may be joined in Moscow by the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner." (BBC News: 27 November 2025) (my emphasis)
The possible inclusion of Jared Kushner in this delegation may signify a counterfoil to Witkoff, following the pushback of many Republicans against Putin's so-called 'Peace Plan'.
Recall that Rob Gillies and Will Weissert reported,
"The senators said they spoke to Rubio after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva for talks on the plan. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan “was not the administration’s plan” but a “wish list of the Russians.” (AP: 23 November 2025) (my emphasis)
"Based on the overall economic indicators, it would be in Russia's best interest to stop the war now!" (Wion: 28 November 2025) (my emphasis)
The euphoria of Putin into believing that the mental deterioration of Trump enables him to manipulate Trump even easier through Witkoff, and will allow him to avert the eyes of the Russian people from the increasing economic hardships they are now suffering because of his war with Ukraine, is slowly vanishing into thin air.
Putin's war with Ukraine has now become a 'millstone around his neck'.
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