The media reported on Witkoff's use of a Kremlin translator in meetings with Putin

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steven Witkoff, used the services of a Kremlin translator during talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This was reported on May 10 by NBC News, citing an American and two Western officials.

"President Donald Trump's special Envoy violated long—established protocol by not hiring his own interpreter during three high-level meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, choosing instead to rely on interpreters from the Kremlin," the publication says.

According to two former American ambassadors, Witkoff risked using Kremlin translators, as some nuances in Putin's words might have been overlooked.

In addition, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul believes that bringing in a linguist from the Kremlin was a "very bad idea" that put the special envoy "at a real disadvantage."

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Witkoff met with Putin four times — on February 11, March 13 and April 25 in Moscow and on April 11 in St. Petersburg.