U.S. special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive at a railway station, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 6, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
A military expert laid into two of President Donald Trump's envoys Tuesday after it was reported that they had made a "ludicrous" mistake while meeting with the Russians.
On Saturday, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. Reports indicate that a Russian government vehicle transported the two men to the meeting, a mistake that retired Army Maj. Gen. Randy Manner told CNN's Erin Burnett on "OutFront"
"It's important for your listeners to understand that the Russians have the ability that, if you get within a certain number of feet of a device that would be included in that vehicle, they can take everything off of your phone and copy it without you even knowing it," Manner said. "All your contacts, all your messages, all your emails — everything — can then belong to the Russians."
"So, for them to fallvictim to such a ludicrous, unbelievable situation, toaccept a Russian vehicle thatshows the ignorance and lack ofknowledge in general about howsophisticated the Russians are," he added.
Witkoff and Kushner described the talks on Sunday as "encouraging," the Associated Press reported, although some experts remain skeptical about the meeting.