Few things expose the hidden machinery of a negotiation like a recording that was never meant to be heard. In late autumn, a transcript surfaced suggesting that a American envoy once coached a Kremlin adviser on how to flatter a president, a reminder that peace is rarely made in the open. Against a backdrop of a devastated Ukraine, where territory, armies and the unpunished memory of atrocities are still being weighed, the leak has lent new suspicion to every promise of a quick settlement.
Kremlin Fumes Over Leaked Witkoff-Ushakov Call on Flattering Trump in Ukraine Peace Push
The conflict in Ukraine has caused large-scale casualties and displacement, and the plan's terms involve territory and amnesty for wartime atrocities.
Ushakov called the leak unacceptable, yet said some of it was fake.
Mark
Why is this leak a bigger story than the usual diplomatic gossip?
Mimi
Because it shows an American envoy coaching a Kremlin aide on how to handle the American president. That is what critics seized on, and Rep. Don Bacon went as far as calling for Witkoff to be fired.
Luke
Keep in mind that these are Bloomberg's transcripts. Ushakov says parts are fake but won't say which, and Dmitriev called the whole thing fake. Nobody has verified the text publicly.
Mark
And the White House response?
Mimi
Steven Cheung said it just proves Witkoff talks to both sides nearly every day, which is his job.
Luke
That defends the contact, not the content. It doesn't address whether the coaching was appropriate.
Mark
Why does Ushakov think it was leaked?
Mimi
To hinder talks. He says encrypted channels are rarely intercepted unless someone wants it, and he rules out the participants.
Luke
That's his inference. He offers no evidence of who did it.
Mark
Where does the plan stand now?
Mimi
Down from 28 points to 19, with an 800,000 army cap and no amnesty clause. Territory and guarantees are left to the presidents.
Luke
Note that the 19-point agreement comes from a US official. Russia hasn't accepted anything, and Putin is only expected to reject it, according to sources.
Der Puls
- A leaked Bloomberg transcript shows envoy Steve Witkoff coaching Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how Putin should flatter Trump, and Moscow is furious.
- Ushakov calls the leak unacceptable, claims parts are fake, and suggests the disclosure was designed to sabotage the talks.
- Washington and Europe are rewriting a 28-point plan that heavily favored Russian demands, shrinking the Ukrainian army cap and dropping amnesty guarantees.
- Europe's E3 pushes to start territorial talks from the current front line and to secure an Article 5-style US guarantee for Kyiv, while Lavrov warns of consequences.
- Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week, but sources in Washington expect Putin to dismiss the revised 19-point framework outright.
Few things expose the hidden machinery of a negotiation like a recording that was never meant to be heard. In late autumn, a transcript surfaced suggesting that a American envoy once coached a Kremlin adviser on how to flatter a president, a reminder that peace is rarely made in the open. Against a backdrop of a devastated Ukraine, where territory, armies and the unpunished memory of atrocities are still being weighed, the leak has lent new suspicion to every promise of a quick settlement.
On Wednesday, Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, was asked whether he would raise a leaked phone call with the American on the other end. He said only that they would exchange opinions by phone. The call, dated October 14, had been published by Bloomberg, and Ushakov called the leak unacceptable.
In the transcript, US envoy Steve Witkoff advises Ushakov on how Putin should approach Donald Trump. Putin should congratulate Trump on the Gaza deal, claim Russia supported it, and call him a man of peace. Witkoff also suggested Putin mention a similar 20-point plan to bring up Ukraine, and proposed a Trump-Putin call before Zelensky's White House visit. Shortly after that meeting, Trump said both sides should stop at the battle line, effectively asking Ukraine to accept lost territory.
Ushakov said parts of the material were fake, and a second recording showed him and Kirill Dmitriev debating how hard Moscow should push its demands. The Kremlin has also cooled talk of a near settlement, with Dmitry Peskov calling it premature.
The original 28-point plan, which had Ukraine ceding all of Donbas and sharply cutting its army, drew sharp criticism. Rep. Don Bacon urged that Witkoff be fired, while Marco Rubio insisted the US wrote it with input from both sides. The draft has since shrunk to 19 points, with Ukraine's army capped at 800,000 and amnesty guarantees dropped. Territory and security guarantees are left for Trump and Zelensky to settle.
Ushakov has agreed in principle to a Witkoff visit to Moscow next week, but Washington expects Putin to reject the new version. Behind the diplomacy lies a country still counting its dead and displaced, and the question of whether anyone will be held to account for the war's atrocities.
On Wednesday, reporters caught up with Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser, and asked whether he would raise a leaked phone call with the American who had been on the other end of it. His answer was brief: they would exchange opinions by phone. The call, dated October 14, had been obtained by Bloomberg, which published a transcript of it. Ushakov called the leak unacceptable.
In the transcript, US special envoy Steve Witkoff coaches Ushakov on how Putin should approach Donald Trump. Witkoff suggests Putin phone the president, congratulate him on the Gaza peace deal, say Russia supported it, and tell him he respects him as a man of peace. Ushakov replies that he agrees, and that Putin will say Trump is a real peace man. The call took place a day after Trump's visit to Israel and Egypt to celebrate the Gaza ceasefire. Witkoff also floated a way to bring up Ukraine: Putin could tell Trump that he and Ushakov had discussed a similar 20-point peace plan. He proposed arranging a Trump-Putin call before Volodymyr Zelensky's White House visit later that week. The two leaders spoke a day before Trump met Zelensky.
On October 17, shortly after that meeting, Trump said both sides should stop at the battle line, which would effectively mean Ukraine accepting the loss of territory Russia has seized. He said he had told both Zelensky and Putin the same. He also appeared cool on Tomahawk missiles for Kyiv, saying the US does not want to give away things it needs for its own protection.
Ushakov said some of the leaked material was fake but declined to say which parts, citing the call's confidentiality. He told Kommersant that sensitive conversations run through encrypted government channels that are rarely intercepted unless a party wants them out, though some talks on WhatsApp might be overheard. He ruled out the participants as the source, and said the leak was probably meant to hinder the talks. Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's adviser on Ukraine, called the transcript fake and said the closer the sides get to peace, the more desperate the warmongers become. The Kremlin also stepped back from talk of a settlement: spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was premature to say a deal was near.
Bloomberg reported a second recording, from October 29, in which Ushakov and Dmitriev discuss how hard Moscow should push its demands. Dmitriev said he would pass Russia's version along informally and did not expect it to be adopted exactly, but hoped the result would be close. It came soon after Dmitriev met Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Florida to work on the framework of the 28-point plan.
That plan, made public last week, leaned heavily toward Russian demands. It had Ukraine ceding all of Donbas, sharply cutting its army, and Europe agreeing that Ukraine never joins NATO. Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, wrote on X that Witkoff cannot be trusted to lead the negotiations and should be fired. Sen. Mike Rounds said the draft looked as if it had been written in Russian to begin with. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the claim of Russian authorship blatantly false, saying the US wrote it with input from both sides. White House communications director Steven Cheung said the story showed Witkoff talks to Russian and Ukrainian officials almost daily, as Trump appointed him to do.
The draft has since changed. A US official said Kyiv agreed to a 19-point version without amnesty guarantees for wartime atrocities, and with Ukraine's army capped at 800,000 rather than reduced from 900,000 to 600,000. The most sensitive questions, territory and US security guarantees, are left for Trump and Zelensky. The European E3 of Britain, France and Germany proposed that territorial talks start from the current line of contact and that Ukraine receive an Article 5-style US guarantee. Ushakov called the European and Ukrainian changes unconstructive, and Lavrov warned that the situation would be fundamentally different if the plan erased the understandings from the August Alaska summit. Sources in Washington expect Putin to dismiss the new version out of hand.
Ushakov said a preliminary agreement is in place for Witkoff and other US officials to come to Moscow next week. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is going to Ukraine after meeting Kyiv and Moscow officials in Abu Dhabi. Ukrainian security chief Rustem Umerov said Zelensky could visit the US within days, though Washington has not confirmed it.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
To hinder, probably. It is unlikely this was done to improve relations.— Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser
He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations.— Rep. Don Bacon, on X
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