U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff reflected on last week's Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and praised President Donald Trump as the "Michael Jordan" of dealmaking.
Speaking to hosts John Catsimatidis and Rita Cosby on the "Cats & Cosby" show on Wednesday, Witkoff described with admiration what he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio observed behind closed doors at last week's critical summit.
"When the doors closed … in Alaska, I and Marco got to witness the great master, master dealmaker in chief, Donald J. Trump," Witkoff said. "And it was quite extraordinary to watch."
"We've all grown up in New York, and we've all done deals, but President Trump is, you know, he's the Michael Jordan of this business. In fact, he's the Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Albert Einstein all put together," Witkoff continued.
The summit in Alaska over the weekend between Trump and Putin ended without any concrete pathway to peace. Trump is now seeking a formal meeting that includes Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where the topics of recognizing Russian land acquisition and a ceasefire contingent on western military assistance will be discussed.
Trump has indicated he's willing to use U.S. airpower to support European forces in Ukraine but promised not to commit to American boots on the ground, indicating Europeans are willing to make that crucial step.
On Wednesday, Trump sharpened his tone with a social media post when he wrote, "interesting times ahead" after a lengthy explanation of why Ukraine and Western Allies would no longer be playing a defense-only role.
Witkoff admitted, despite several meetings with Putin of his own, Trump has "this uncanny ability to get to the right place" and hinted at significant progress. "I think he felt that we made a lot of progress in a one-on-one with Putin," Witkoff said. "What we were able to determine, and I hope it holds, that the Russians are prepared to be accommodating — more accommodating than we had seen in five or six sessions that I had with him, with President Putin."
Witkoff said the next step will be an in-person meeting to push the negotiations further. "The next move is going to be very telling as to whether Zelenskyy and Putin meet together. And I think, ultimately, if that happens, if that meeting happens — and I believe it will, I'm certainly hopeful it will — that will, in my view, potentially lead to a trilateral between the three, and there, I think, you'd see a lot more progress," Witkoff said.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.