White House claims 'foreign influence' behind criticism of US envoy

The White House lashed out what it called a “foreign influence operation” by German-owned US news outlet Politico after it criticized President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff’s Ukraine negotiations.

Vice President JD Vance slammed Politico, bought in 2021 by German media giant Axel Springer, over an article that quoted unnamed officials as saying Witkoff’s “inexperience shines through” in his talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

“This story from Politico is journalistic malpractice. But it’s more than that: it’s a foreign influence operation meant to hurt the administration and one of our most effective members,” Vance said on X.

A string of other White House officials made similar attacks, with Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair calling the article a “foreign influence operation run through a German-controlled online media outlet.”

The officials did not offer evidence of any foreign party or government behind the story.

The attacks came as Berlin and France cast doubt on whether Trump’s Ukraine peace efforts would bear fruit, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the war would last “many more months.”

Witkoff is a property tycoon whom Trump has named as his special envoy for peace talks to end the Ukraine and Gaza wars despite having no diplomatic experience.

The Politico article was one of a series of articles in recent days by several outlets, including The Atlantic, that said Witkoff’s negotiations with Russia have caused confusion.

Witkoff has made a number of trips to Moscow to meet Putin. He was meeting Ukrainian officials in New York on Friday. He said the “statement from our amazing Vice President speaks for itself.”