Ukraine is "very disturbed" by recent comments from U.S. Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and fears Russian disinformation narratives are influencing American officials, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Eurovision News on March 26.
Witkoff on March 21 told far-right American commentator Tucker Carlson that Ukrainians living under Russian occupation "want" to be ruled by Russia, echoing Kremlin talking points used to justify the illegal annexation of Ukrainian land.
"Witkoff's statements are very disturbing to us," Zelensky said.
"Because we are fighting (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and we really do not want him to have many assistants. This is definitely difficult for us, because we are already fighting a country that is 40 times larger in terms of territory — smaller in terms of dignity."
While Witkoff may be susceptible to certain Russian narratives, he is not a military expert, Zelensky noted.
"As far as I know, he is very good at selling and buying real estate."
Zelensky said he is grateful for U.S. support but concerned about the influence of Russian disinformation among U.S. government officials.
"But we are fighting for ourselves and will fight these narratives, wherever they are," he said.
"We simply have no other choice. We are fighting for our independence and for our existence. That's all."
In an interview with Time magazine published on March 24, Zelensky said that Russian propaganda is successfully influencing the American leadership, with some officials appearing too ready to trust Putin's word.
Chris York
(Updated: )
