Putin 'lying' to Trump envoy: McMaster

Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster warned Steve Witkoff, special envoy for Ukraine, to beware of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions.

“Putin’s lying to him! That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody. Putin is the best liar, the best deceiver in the world,” McMaster said during a Thursday appearance on Fox News.

Earlier in the segment, he addressed the Kremlin’s attempts to take land from Ukraine. 

“I think what we’re all going to realize here pretty soon is what Vladimir Putin wants is nonnegotiable. He wants to dominate Ukraine,” McMaster said. 

“He does want the Black Sea to be his, and he wants to subvert the trans-Atlantic relationship and break apart NATO. I mean, Putin has these aspirations, Martha, that go far beyond anything in reaction to what we do,” he said in his interview with anchor Martha MacCallum.

The former national security adviser’s comments come after an agreement between Ukraine and Russia to “eliminate the use of force” in the Black Sea.

McMaster said Witkoff and others should hammer down on the Kremlin’s high rate of casualties in its conflict with Ukraine to drive Putin toward ending the war.

“In the last year, Russia has taken 40 to 45 percent of the total casualties in the war. That’s not sustainable. So I think we are in a real position of strength, we being the United States and Europe if we come together on this again, and Putin is in a position of weakness,” McMaster said.

“And I think I’d like to see us act more like that, you know, and I think Putin might be more responsive.”

The Trump administration has pledged to end the three years of bloodshed within six months.