Ukrainian MP calls for removal of Trump's envoy Witkoff after "disgraceful" statements on Ukraine

Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian  parliament) Committee for Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, believes that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff should be dismissed from his position following his "disgraceful and shocking" remarks about Ukraine.

As reported by Radio Liberty, Merezhko called "disgraceful and  shocking" Witkoff's statements about the so-called referendums on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, which he made during an interview with Tucker Carlson.

"He [Witkoff] is echoing Russian propaganda. And I have to ask, who is he? Is he Trump’s envoy, or perhaps Putin’s? I don’t have an answer to that question," Merezhko said.

Merezhko believes that Trump must "disavow these statements because they contradict US policy in the first place".

"Of course, we cannot dictate to our American friends who should represent them, but this person should be removed from the delegation. He should not be the president’s representative. He is either completely unprofessional or simply repeating Putin’s narratives," he said.

Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, in an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson effectively recognised the "referendums" conducted by Russia in the occupied Ukrainian territories in 2022.

In the same interview, Witkoff claimed that Ukraine's NATO membership was incompatible with a potential peace deal with Russia.

Following Witkoff’s interview, the European Commission reaffirmed its unwavering support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and stressed that the so-called "referendums" conducted by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine were entirely falsified.