Stefanyishyna Revealed Kushner and Witkoff's Nicknames in Russia
Olga Stefanishyna explained what Russian political circles call the American negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. According to her, Donald Trump’s representatives have been nicknamed “Son-in-Law” and “Vitok.”
The former ambassador commented on Kushner and Witkoff’s first visit to Kyiv. Prior to this, both negotiators had visited Moscow on multiple occasions and held meetings with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
“The Russians call the negotiators ‘Vityok’ and ‘Zyatok.’ This is, in general, the Russian way of doing politics—with a touch of arrogance and a smirk,” Stefanyishyna said.
“Zyatok” in this case refers to Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, and “Vityok” refers to Steve Witkoff.
At the same time, Stefanishyna emphasized that the most important aspect of the recent trip by the American negotiators was the very fact of their arrival in the Ukrainian capital.
“I think the most important thing is that they simply came. In other words, the event itself lies in the fact that they came and made it to Kyiv,” she said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Zelenskyy told Witkoff that he would not cede any territory to Russia under any circumstances.
Following the meeting in Kyiv, Witkoff announced peace talks in a Ukraine-Europe-U.S. format.
In addition to issues regarding the cessation of hostilities and security guarantees, the parties discussed the country’s post-war recovery and the mobilization of resources for reconstruction, as well as economic guarantees designed to prevent the war from breaking out again.
