When teacher Marc Fogel returned to the United States on Tuesday after three and a half years’ imprisonment in Russia, he was accompanied by a figure many don’t know much about — Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.
“What a dynamic man this guy is,” Fogel said of Witkoff during a press event late Tuesday at the White House
But who is Steve Witkoff? Though the Trump administration contains many famous names, Witkoff’s wasn’t previously one of them.
He was appointed by President Donald Trump as special envoy to the Middle East, a position that has thus far mostly involved dealing with the conflict between Israel and Hamas. But the 67-year-old Bronx, N.Y., native’s experience doesn’t lie in foreign policy.
Negotiations are his specialty, but his background is in real estate, not diplomacy.
Witkoff is a billionaire real estate developer and investor, and also a four-decades-long friend of Trump’s, according to Al Jazeera. The two enjoy golfing together, and Witkoff was present during the second assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf club in September.
He was also part of negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, along with officials from former President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We have people that know everything about the Middle East, but they can’t speak properly,” Trump said of Witkoff’s appointment. “He is a great negotiator.”
But there are many indications that Witkoff’s duties extend beyond the Middle East and into negotiating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
“Mr. Witkoff had direct discussions with close allies of Mr. Putin before the visit to Moscow, the people briefed on the situation said. He has also discussed Ukraine with contacts in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, they said. Countries in the Persian Gulf have long sought to play a role as mediators to end the conflict,” the Times reported.
Witkoff appeared on Fox News on Wednesday morning to discuss Fogel’s release and return to the United States.
“It’s not me unfreezing it; it’s President Trump,” Witkoff said when asked about his successful negotiation in Moscow. “He sets the table for all of us and points us in the right direction and asks us to go implement, and that’s what happened here.”
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Witkoff reportedly spent more than three hours in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin before bringing Fogel back to the United States.
Witkoff said that he left the Middle East for Moscow after discussions with Russian officials “reached fruition.”
“They sent me over there, and we got a very good outcome, thank God,” he told Fox News.
Witkoff deflected when asked about his conversations with Putin. “I don’t want to talk about what specifically happened over in Russia, I just want to talk about the outcome, and the outcome is that Marc Fogel came home.”
Witkoff discussed his nine-hour-long flight — on his own jet — with Fogel and how emotional the newly released American became when the flight touched down at Andrews Air Force Base and he was told that he was back on American soil.
When asked about his confidence in taking on a role with which he has no experience, Witkoff again credited the president. “It comes from President Trump. He told me I could do it, that’s what he said. At the end of the day, you’re never really sure.”
Witkoff also appeared on NewsNation on Wednesday morning where he described Fogel as “exultant” upon boarding the plane home. “He was kissing people and hugging people he’d never met before in his life.”
The Trump administration has indicated that another American will be returned from Russia on Wednesday, but Witkoff didn’t have any additional information to divulge about that potential release.
However, when asked about the future of negotiations between Russia and the United States, Witkoff was optimistic.
“The president, I know, had a great relationship with President Putin,” he said. “I know that I am grateful to President Putin for what he did here and the president is grateful to President Putin for what he did here.”