This is the transcript from an interview with Steve Witkoff (President Trump’s Middle East envoy) that was broadcast on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan”, on March 16, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to President Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, who joins us this morning from Miami Beach. Welcome back to “Face the Nation,” Ambassador.
Special Envoy to the Middle East STEVE Wikoff: Thank you. Margaret, thank you. Thank you for having me.
MARGARET BRENNA: You just heard Rubio, the Secretary of State, talk about his efforts to broker a truce. You were the one who was face-to-face to Vladimir Putin. What is your answer to this question, regarding whether or not Vladimir Putin is sincerely seeking a ceasefire in his request?
STEVE WITKOF: I was at the meeting for a long time, Margaret. I agree with what Secretary said. In that meeting, we made significant progress. The meeting could have lasted up to four hours but was at least three. We discussed a number of details, and I draw attention to the huge gap between Ukraine and Russia before the inauguration and where we stand today. My opinion is that we have made a lot more progress between these two parties. I believe that this meeting demonstrates that.
MARGARET BRENNAN : I heard you on another show this morning saying that you expect Presidents Trump and Putin will speak this week. Is this a call to action, or are these just the next steps?
STEVE WITKOF: I’d- I’d assume that they- they- have a- they- have a- they- have a relationship since the first term of the president. After my first meeting with President Putin, they’ve already spoken. This call will be very constructive and positive between these two men.
MARGARET BRENAN: Will decisions be taken on whether or not to continue with the 30-day ceasefire to which the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia have all agreed, but Russia has, at least in public, refused to?
STEVE WITKOF: President Trump is our ultimate decision-maker. For the country of Russia it is President Putin. It’s very encouraging that they will talk at some point. I think it’s a positive sign that both countries are aiming for a durable, long-term peace. This includes Ukraine.
MARGARET BRENNA: Yesterday, the French President said publicly that in France’s opinion, Russia’s peace efforts are not sincere. They are intensifying the fight. This week, we saw Vladimir Putin dressed in military uniforms on TV. He said publicly that he wanted to find the root causes of war. What was his private message?
STEVE WITKOF: I don’t really know what President Macron has said. It’s unfortunate that people don’t necessarily have firsthand experience when they make such assessments. But I won’t comment on what he has said because I do not know what he has said. I can tell you what I saw, I can tell you the body language that I observed. I witnessed a sustained constructive effort to- to discuss what was happening in the field. The 2,000-kilometer border between the two countries is a place where they face each other, shoot each other and are in a confrontation. This is a complicated ceasefire and everyone wants to talk about it. We are in the middle of that discussion. The Russians have talked about sending technical team, the United States has sent technical teams. A meeting with Secretary of State Rubio and our National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Saudi Arabia was very positive. My meeting is also promising. All of these trends are very positive and could lead to a peace agreement in the near future.
MARGARET BRENNAN : You’re talking about territory in technical terms, beyond the ceasefire and a peace accord?
Steve Wikoff: I-what I-what I am saying, the technical, what I am saying is that to achieve a ceasefire, people must stop fighting over a border of 2,000 kilometers. That’s- that’s 1,200 miles.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.
STEVE WITKOF: This does not include the main area of conflict, which is Kursk. There are different battlefield conditions. This is something we need to talk about. We all know that the Russians have their eyes on certain regions. A nuclear reactor in Ukraine provides a lot of electricity. This has to be addressed. Access to ports is a problem. Margaret, the Black Sea agreement is one of many factors that could be used to implement a ceasefire. I often compare this to Gaza. Gaza is a defined and finite space, compared to where the fight is taking place, which is in Ukraine or Russia. This is a more complex situation and yet, no one throws their hands in the air. They are doing what they can to resolve the situation. All stakeholders, including Europeans, are committed to doing all they can to reach a positive resolution.
MARGARET BRENNAN : You mentioned Gaza. What specifics are you looking at in regards to the relocation of 2 million Palestinians from Gaza? You’ve previously mentioned Egypt and Jordan. Do you have any other plans to relocate?
STEVE WITKOF: Margaret, I believe we are exploring all options and alternatives that lead to a better future for Gazans. And by the way, the people of Israel. We’re looking into all those issues. Right now, the most important thing is to find a resolution for this conflict. The recent experience at the Arab Summit where we met with the leaders of different Arab countries for seven and a quarter hours, was not encouraging. I think we made a sensible proposal that was meant to be a bridge for a final discussion, and a final resolution, that included some demilitarization, which is something that must happen. This is a redline for Israel. This could have been the beginning of a long-term peace solution. Hamas, however, came up with its own concept, disavowing what we had discussed. To me, this was a poor outcome. I-I hope they reconsider because the alternative would not be so good for them.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Understood. Thank you, Ambassador Witkoff. We’ll return with more “Face the Nation.”
