On an afternoon in November, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to a family estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to attend a wedding at which his two daughters served as bridesmaids. In the preceding 48 hours, Rubio had been preoccupied with a diplomatic controversy sparked by the leak to the media of a 28-point peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The plan was part of an effort led by Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff, under the direction of President Donald Trump, to find a resolution to the conflict, which has lasted nearly four years. However, the leaked document drew strong backlash from Ukraine and European allies, as it contained several proposals seen as favorable to Russia, including territorial concessions by Ukraine, limits on the size of its armed forces, and abandoning its goal of NATO membership. These proposals were widely attributed to Witkoff.
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While attending the wedding, Rubio faced another complication. He was scheduled to participate in peace talks with Ukrainian officials in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 23, but Witkoff departed for Europe ahead of him.
The Geneva meeting was part of Washington’s effort to narrow differences with Ukraine and European partners. The U.S. delegation was expected to include both Rubio and Witkoff, but the special envoy did not share his travel plans with Rubio or with officials at the State Department.
According to three sources familiar with the matter, Witkoff sought to get ahead of Rubio in order to engage directly with Ukrainian officials in a manner he considered appropriate. This episode was one of several highlighting differing views between Rubio and Witkoff on how to end the war, despite both being key figures in the U.S. mediation effort.
U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Witkoff favors pressuring Ukraine to reach a rapid agreement in line with President Trump’s expectations, while Rubio prefers using economic and military leverage to push Russia toward concessions and ensure Ukraine’s security.
These differences have complicated coordination between the two men, with Witkoff appearing on multiple occasions to act independently. After the wedding, Rubio still flew to Geneva in time, ensuring that Witkoff did not meet the Ukrainian delegation alone, sources said.
“They seem to be out of sync,” Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, told NBC News. “If negotiators do not share a common understanding of the issue and of their counterpart, it is very difficult to achieve good results.”
In late November, several days after the Geneva meeting, Witkoff arranged a separate meeting with Ukrainian officials in Florida. Rubio reportedly learned of the meeting only after Ukrainian representatives contacted his aides to seek clarification, according to a U.S. official and another informed source.
“Clearly, Secretary Rubio was sidelined, even though he should have been leading the peace effort,” one U.S. official said.
“Witkoff knows that he and Secretary Rubio have very different views on Russia,” said John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. “As a competitive figure and someone close to President Trump, Witkoff believes he can proceed on his own terms.”
A real estate businessman by background, Witkoff has long been known as one of President Trump’s closest and most loyal associates. He was initially appointed as special envoy for the Middle East, tasked with ending the war in Gaza, before his portfolio expanded to include efforts to resolve the Russia–Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff previously worked with Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, on a 20-point peace plan that helped persuade Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire ending nearly two years of fighting in Gaza. In the Ukraine peace initiative, he has continued to work closely with Kushner.
“Steve is a great negotiator,” President Trump said on November 16. However, critics in the U.S. Congress and Europe have described Witkoff as “a gift to Russia,” arguing that he too readily accepts Moscow’s claims without sufficient scrutiny.
Beyond Ukraine, sources said Witkoff has also clashed with Rubio and State Department officials over security procedures. The Middle East envoy frequently uses a private aircraft, despite the federal government maintaining an official fleet for diplomats traveling abroad.
The absence of secure communications channels on Witkoff’s plane raised concerns at the State Department, prompting a high-level review in May. The department subsequently installed a secure mobile communications system on the aircraft, though concerns reportedly remain over whether it is consistently used.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Witkoff “complies with all guidance provided by the Diplomatic Security Service and the White House Information Technology office,” adding that he has had secure communications on his aircraft from the outset. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said there was “no rift” between Rubio and Witkoff and that the two officials were “fully aligned with President Trump’s objectives.”
Nevertheless, developments on the ground suggest the two continue to pursue different approaches. The initial peace plan, largely drafted by Witkoff, was significantly revised after Rubio became more deeply involved in the negotiations and following consultations with Ukrainian officials. Provisions that raised the greatest concerns for Ukraine and Europe were removed or substantially modified.
Over the past weekend, the U.S. delegation held separate meetings with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Miami, Florida.
“The U.S. representatives at the meetings included Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum,” Witkoff wrote on X on December 21, making no mention of Secretary of State Rubio.