A power struggle has emerged between the two men Donald Trump has dispatched to end the war in Ukraine, according to reports.
Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, is understood to have become frustrated with Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s peace envoy, for attempting to cut him out of peace talks.
In November, Mr Witkoff, a former New York real estate developer turned high-level diplomat, travelled to Geneva earlier than scheduled to begin peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Geneva, officials told NBC News.
Mr Witkoff did not tell Mr Rubio or state department officials about his plans, the sources said, which was interpreted as an attempt by Mr Witkoff to negotiate with Ukraine alone.
Mr Rubio, who was at a wedding in North Carolina when he found out, made it to Geneva in time so Mr Witkoff would not meet with Kyiv’s delegation without him.
“It is so clear that Rubio has been cut out of this. He should be the one leading all of this,” a senior administration official told NBC News.
“They seem to be singing off of a different sheet of music,” Alexander Vershbow, the former ambassador to Nato, said.
He added: “And if you don’t have a common understanding of the problems and of your adversary in a negotiation, it can’t be good.”
Heavily damaged residential area of the frontline town of Kostyantynivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine – OLEG PETRASIUK
In April, Mr Rubio’s team discovered Mr Witkoff had arranged a one-on-one meeting with Emmanuel Macron during peace talks in Paris in April.
Mr Rubio requested to join the meeting but was told by the French foreign ministry Mr Witkoff would need to approve his inclusion. The former Florida senator’s team reportedly struggled to reach Mr Witkoff but when they did he eventually agreed Mr Rubio could join the meeting.
Mr Rubio reportedly only heard about talks with Ukrainian officials in Florida when the Ukrainian delegation reached out to his office.
Posting on X following discussions with Ukraine in Miami at the weekend, Mr Witkoff said the US delegation had included himself, Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, a White House staff member, but did not mention Mr Rubio.
Some administration officials are also said to have raised concerns over Mr Wikoff’s security practices, such as using his own jet to fly to Russia instead of a government aircraft.
Mr Witkoff came under scrutiny in November after a leaked call with Yuri Ushakov revealed he had advised Russia on how to flatter Mr Trump in peace negotiations.
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, said Mr Witkoff has “secure communications on his plane” and “follows all guidelines provided by Diplomatic Security and White House Information Technology.”
Tommy Pigott,a state department spokesperson, said there “is no rift between the two and has never been”.
He added: “Secretary Rubio and Special Envoy Witkoff have a close working relationship and are personal friends. They are both fully aligned on the president’s goals and each is carrying out President Trump’s vision on how to end the war and achieving peace in complete cooperation.”
He said claims Mr Witkoff had attempted to block Mr Rubio from meetings in Paris as “absurd”, adding: “The secretary’s multiple meetings in Paris, both with and without the special envoy, and their close cooperation before, during, and since then, speak for themselves”.
On Friday Mr Rubio described Mr Witkoff as a “phenomenal person, very smart, very talented” who does not get paid for his efforts as Mr Trump’s envoy.
He added: “Steve doesn’t do anything independently. He relies on the interagency… he is staffed in many of these visits by state department folks, and including the ones in Miami, especially as we get to the technical parts of these agreements. So the synergy there is very tight across the board”.
The Telegraph contacted the White House for comment.
