Kirill Dmitriev says Moscow’s engagement with Trump’s team is ongoing, dismissing claims that negotiator Steve Witkoff’s influence has waned
Moscow and Washington continue to engage based on the agreements reached at the Alaska summit, despite earlier reports that US special envoy Steve Witkoff had lost influence within the administration of President Donald Trump, Russian presidential aide Kirill Dmitriev has said.
The Alaska meeting in August marked the first face-to-face encounter between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2019. The discussions centered on ending the Ukraine conflict and restoring relations between Washington and Moscow. Both leaders described the talks as productive, although no breakthrough was achieved.
Following the summit, Witkoff – a New York-based businessman and Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, as well as his main negotiator on Ukraine and the Middle East – faced criticism in Western media over his lack of diplomatic experience and failure to broker a deal.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Dmitriev, who took part in the Alaska discussions, rejected reports that Witkoff’s standing in Washington had weakened.
“As the chief architect and negotiator behind Trump’s Gaza plan, which Russia also supported, Witkoff retains and has significantly strengthened his key role,” Dmitriev said following the envoy’s involvement in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that included a large-scale hostage exchange.
He described the Witkoff’s approach as pragmatic and said the dialogue between Moscow and Trump’s team “continues on the basis of agreements reached at the Alaska summit.”
Last week, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said the agreements reached during the mid-August summit do not sit well with Ukraine and its European backers – “those who do not want the Ukraine crisis to be resolved peacefully.” However, he emphasized that “this does not mean they are not working.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday that the “powerful impetus” for peace created by the Alaska summit had been extinguished, primarily by European “supporters of war.”
Putin has previously defended Witkoff, saying he “accurately conveys both Moscow’s and Washington’s positions” and represents “the position of the American president himself.” He added that criticism of the envoy can only come from those “not in favor” of Trump or his approach to Ukraine.
