In the photos and recordings from the meeting that took place on December 2 in the Kremlin and concerned ending the war in Ukraine, attention is drawn to a mysterious woman sitting next to Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff. The “mystery” was solved by the independent Russian investigative service Agency. It turned out to be translator Tatiana Albert, who has been cooperating with the Department of State since 2017. As the website reveals, the woman studied in Russia and obtained a doctorate in foreign languages there in 1991.
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Who is the translator who sat next to Witkoff?
What controversy did Witkoff's translator cause?
Is Witkoff's translator of Russian origin?
Who acted as a translator during the meeting between Putin and Witkoff?
Controversy surrounding Witkoff's Russian translator
It is not known whether Witkoff's translator is of Russian origin, although this is indicated by the place where she studied. Interestingly, the Agency website found her name under an open letter of Russian and Ukrainian translators who opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Previously, the issue of American envoy Steve Witkoff's translator was controversial. After his meeting with Vladimir Putin in April, NBC News wrote that the interpreter during the talks about the war in Ukraine was Russian. According to experts cited at the time, Witkoff violated long-standing protocol by waiving the services of his own translator during three top-level meetings with the Russian leader. Two former US ambassadors told NBC News that he “ran the risk that some of the nuances in Putin's messages will be missed and he will not be able to independently verify what was said to him.”
Vladimir Putin knows English, but not well enough to use it in official meetings and peace negotiations. During the meeting on December 2, according to the Agency's journalists, the President of Russia used the services of Alexei Sadykov, who has already served as Putin's translator many times.
