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Rep. Don Bacon: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff 'Cannot Be Trusted' to Lead Russia–Ukraine Peace Talks

Rep. Don Bacon accused Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on X of favoring Russia and said he "cannot be trusted" to lead peace negotiations involving the U.S., Russia and Ukraine. The allegation followed a report that Witkoff advised a Russian aide on how Putin should present a peace plan to former President Trump. Trump defended dealmaking and said a meeting with Putin may be imminent. U.S. and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva — led in part by Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Sen. Marco Rubio — say they have agreed on the proposal's core terms.

02:14 PM, 11/26/2025Conflict
Rep. Don Bacon: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff 'Cannot Be Trusted' to Lead Russia–Ukraine Peace Talks

Rep. Don Bacon (R‑Neb.) on Tuesday publicly accused Special Envoy Steve Witkoff of favoring Russia and said Witkoff "cannot be trusted" to lead negotiations between the United States, Russia and Ukraine.

Posting on the social platform X, Bacon — a vocal supporter of Ukraine — wrote that Witkoff appears to side with Russian interests and therefore is unfit to shepherd talks intended to preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and democratic institutions.

“For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” Bacon wrote. “He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations.”

“Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”

Bacon's comments followed a Bloomberg report that during an Oct. 14 conversation Witkoff advised Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to President Vladimir Putin, on how Putin might present a peace plan to former President Donald Trump. According to the report, Witkoff suggested the three sides could agree on a framework similar to a recently publicized 20‑point proposal that had been brokered in the Middle East.

The Bloomberg account also said Witkoff urged Ushakov to have Putin publicly thank Trump for brokering that Middle East agreement and to describe Trump as "a man of peace." Trump and Putin spoke by phone on Oct. 16, one day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump said he was not aware of the reported call but called such communications "standard" and defended the role of dealmakers. “[Witkoff has] got to sell this Ukraine, he’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia, that’s what a deal maker does,” Trump said.

The president added that Witkoff — and possibly Jared Kushner, his former senior adviser and son‑in‑law — may meet with Putin in Moscow after Thanksgiving. Media outlets have sought comment from the State Department and other officials about which U.S. representatives will attend.

Over the past weekend, Witkoff, Kushner and Senator Marco Rubio led a U.S. delegation that met with Ukrainian officials in Geneva. With input from European leaders, the teams worked to refine a peace proposal that the U.S. administration supports.

On Tuesday, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, posted on X that the Ukrainian and U.S. delegations had agreed on the “core terms” of the draft proposal.

What to watch next

Key developments to follow include any meeting between U.S. envoys and President Putin in Moscow, additional details of the Geneva talks, and official responses from Ukrainian and U.S. authorities about the reported conversations and the content of the draft peace proposal.

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