Meeks, Smith and Reed criticise Witkoff and Kushner

Gregory Meeks, Adam Smith and Jack Reed criticised Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's approach to negotiations over Ukraine, UNIAN reported. Their statement accused Trump's representatives of undermining Kyiv's ability to negotiate a fair and lasting settlement of Russia's invasion.

According to UNIAN, the statement appeared on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee's website. The Democrats accused the negotiators of repeating Kremlin positions on reshaping European security and potentially withdrawing troops from Eastern Europe to weaken NATO.

They also alleged that Witkoff and Kushner were pressuring Kyiv to surrender sovereign Ukrainian territory, including its “fortress belt”, and had repeatedly bypassed the US intelligence community and State Department.

The Democrats urged Trump to tell his representatives that concessions at Ukraine's expense and attempts to appease Vladimir Putin would not bring peace. In their assessment, easing pressure on Putin while weakening Ukraine's position would fail.