Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has snubbed Sir Keir Starmer’s plans for Ukraine.
The prime minister has suggested a “coalition of the willing“, made up of several European and NATO countries, could provide boots on the ground in Ukraine after a ceasefire.
Mr Witkoff – who is leading the US ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and Russia – dismissed Sir Keir’s plans as a “combination of a posture and a pose” in an interview with pro-Trump journalist Tucker Carlson.
He also accused the prime minister of adopting the “simplistic” notion that leaders “have all got to be like Winston Churchill”.
“The Russians are going to march across Europe. I think that’s preposterous. We have something called Nato that we did not have in World War Two.”
Mr Witkoff recently met with the Russian president in Moscow and told Carlson he “liked” Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy”, he said. “I thought that he was straight up with me.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves defended the prime minister in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC, after being shown the Carlson clip.
She said: “I think we can see the impact of our prime minister’s diplomatic efforts, bringing together European leaders, and indeed leaders from other countries around the world.
“And also being in constant dialogue with President Trump, as well as Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who we welcomed to London a couple of weeks ago.”
The chancellor also said she was not “put off” by Mr Witkoff’s comments.
She added: “We will need to make sure that if there is a ceasefire, it can be enforced and that’s what our prime minister – along with allies around the world – is trying to secure.”
Sir Ed Davey, speaking in Harrogate on Sunday, was more direct in his criticism of Mr Witkoff’s comments.
The Liberal Democrat leader said: “And Trump’s so-called ‘special’ envoy might dismiss British leadership as pointless posturing, but we know what it really is.
“Britain leading in Europe again as we have done in the greatest moments of our nation’s history.”
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Ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin on Monday in Saudi Arabia, and both nations are expected to hold indirect talks mediated by the US.
The hope is that both sides will agree on pausing long-range attacks on energy facilities and civilian infrastructure.
On Sunday, Mr Witkoff expressed optimism ahead of the high-stakes talks, saying he believed Mr Putin is ready to end the conflict.
“I feel that he wants peace,” he told Fox News.
“I think that you’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some real progress, particularly as it affects a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between both countries. And from that, you’ll naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire,” Mr Witkoff said.
