Ukrainian officials say that U.S. President Donald Trump should recall his special envoy Steve Witkoff from the American delegation, following recent comments on the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, IPN reports.

Steve Witkoff is a key figure in the Russia-Ukraine peace efforts. In a response to American commentator Tucker Carlson, Witkoff stressed that Ukrainians living in the occupied territories want to live under Russian rule.

"They are Russian-speaking, and there have been referendums where the overwhelming majority of the population have indicated that they wanted to be under Russian rule," said Steve Witkoff, omitting the fact that Russia’s sham referendums were effectively held at gunpoint, writes The Kyiv Independent.

Consequently, Steve Witkoff's controversial comments on the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine have prompted criticism from Ukrainian lawmakers. "In his statements, Witkoff calls into question the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," said Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, adding that: "Such statements are absolutely unacceptable and go against U.S. policy toward Ukraine."

The Ukrainian official added that "it would be better if President Trump recalled Steve Witkoff from the American delegation. Otherwise, it creates the wrong impression about U.S. foreign policy."

In response to the criticism leveled at Steve Witkoff, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance posted on social media that the U.S. envoy is doing "an incredible job" and that "the people sniping at him are mad that he is succeeding where they failed for 40 years. Turns out a lot of diplomacy boils down to a simple skill: don't be an idiot.”

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