In a stunning revelation that sheds light on backchannel diplomacy, US envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly advised Russian officials on how President Vladimir Putin should approach President Donald Trump regarding a potential peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg news agency.
The Strategic Phone Call Guidance
The news agency obtained a transcript of the conversation between Witkoff and Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, which shows the American diplomat providing specific talking points for the Russian president. Witkoff suggested that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him on the Gaza peace deal, emphasizing that Russia supported it and respected Trump as a "man of peace."
According to the transcript, Witkoff expressed confidence in this approach, stating "From that, it's going to be a really good call." The American envoy also recommended timing the Trump-Putin conversation to occur before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's scheduled White House visit later that week.
White House Response and Russian Reaction
The White House has not challenged the authenticity of the call recording, while President Trump defended Witkoff's actions as "standard negotiating procedure." Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump explained the strategy: "He's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what a dealmaker does."
Meanwhile, Russian official Ushakov suggested the leaked recordings were likely intended to damage US-Russia relations. "It's unlikely this is being done to improve relations," he commented. Ushakov acknowledged speaking with Witkoff "quite often" but refused to discuss the specific content, emphasizing that "the essence of these conversations is that they are confidential."
Broader Peace Plan Developments
This diplomatic maneuvering occurred against the backdrop of Trump announcing that a proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine had been "fine-tuned" and that he was dispatching Witkoff to meet with Putin directly. The Witkoff-Ushakov conversation took place immediately following Trump's triumphant visits to Israel and Egypt celebrating the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
The planned coordination proved successful, with Trump and Putin ultimately speaking by phone one day before the US president hosted Zelenskyy at the White House on October 17. Shortly after meeting with the Ukrainian leader, Trump made the controversial suggestion that Ukraine and Russia should "stop where they are" on the battlefield - effectively meaning Ukraine would concede territories already seized by Russian forces.
Further evidence of behind-the-scenes negotiations emerged from another recording reviewed by Bloomberg, showing Ushakov speaking with Kirill Dmitriev, a close Putin adviser on Ukraine, on October 29. Their discussion centered on how strongly Moscow should push its demands in a prospective peace proposal.
Dmitriev indicated he would informally pass along their version of the plan, telling Ushakov: "I don't think they'll take exactly our version, but at least it'll be as close to it as possible." This exchange followed Dmitriev's travel to Florida for talks with both Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and informal adviser, focusing on creating a framework for a comprehensive 28-point peace plan.
