Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine has been dismissed by Donald Trump’s special envoy.
Steve Witcoff said the idea was based on a “simplistic” notion and praised Vladimir Putin, saying he “liked” him.
“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy,” he said. “He’s super smart.”

Witkoff, who met Putin recently, said the Russian president had been “gracious” with him. Putin had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt last year. He also mentioned a commissioned portrait of Trump as a gift.
During the interview, Witkoff repeated various Russian arguments, questioning the legitimacy of Ukraine and its regions. He was unable to name the five regions of Ukraine either annexed or partially occupied by Russian forces.
The regions – Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea – have been disputed and are either not true or disputed.

Witkoff also repeated several Kremlin talking points, stating that the invasion was justified as Russia views the partially occupied territories as part of Russia. He added that Ukraine is seen as a “false country” by Russia, which regards five regions as rightfully theirs since World War Two.
Witkoff questioned Keir Starmer’s plan for a “coalition of the willing” to provide military security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine, calling it simplistic and preposterous. He added that a ceasefire in the Black Sea would be implemented soon and mentioned potential collaboration between Russia and the US after normalized relations.