‘Witi-Leaks’: Who Leaked Trump Envoy Witkoff’s Coaching Call With Kremlin Aide Ushakov?

On October 14, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, got on the phone with Yuri Ushakov, the senior foreign policy aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to audio and a transcript later published by Bloomberg, Witkoff used the call to coach the Kremlin official on how to pitch a peace proposal to Trump. Six weeks later, the recording has set off a political storm in Washington, and a second question has overtaken the first: who leaked it?

Bloomberg reported on two calls. In the Witkoff-Ushakov exchange, the envoy said, by the transcript, that he knew what a deal would take: Donetsk, one of the two Donbas regions Moscow demands, and perhaps a land swap somewhere. He then urged a change of tone, saying that instead of talking like that, they should speak more hopefully, because he thought a deal was within reach. He also advised Ushakov to have Putin congratulate Trump on the Israel-Hamas peace deal in Gaza, and suggested arranging a Trump-Putin call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's planned White House visit.

The second call was between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's economic adviser and a prominent figure in the talks. Dmitriev is quoted as saying he would pass something along informally, making clear it was informal, and let the Americans do their own version. He did not expect them to take the Russian text exactly, he said, but hoped it would end up as close to it as possible. Bloomberg said it reviewed and transcribed audio of both calls but did not say how it got them.

Ushakov, who was on both calls, appeared on Wednesday, November 26, to confirm they were authentic, while claiming parts were fake. He called the leaking of confidential conversations unacceptable. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Kommersant, he noted that some conversations on WhatsApp could be listened to by someone, hinting at how the calls may have been captured. Russia denies a role. "Someone is leaking, someone is listening, but not us," he said, adding that the leak was unlikely to be meant to improve relations.

Theories split three ways. A senior former intelligence official told The Guardian that interception could come from signals intelligence, cyber-attacks or access to devices, but strongly suspected the US side, naming the CIA and NSA as the capable agencies. The fact that Bloomberg got audio rather than a transcript suggests a source with access to raw collection or real seniority. Daniel Hoffman, a former CIA Moscow station chief, said it was hard to speculate and could be a hundred million things, including someone on the Russian side trying to hurt Witkoff. Another former official suggested a European intelligence service alarmed by Witkoff's pro-Russian stance.

The Telegraph raised suspicion over Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who once called Putin a gangster and reportedly described the original 28-point plan to senators as a Russian wishlist; sources said his department was unaware of the proposal. But the paper called undermining a close Trump ally a likely career-ending risk. It also floated Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, said to despise Dmitriev, who is seen as a possible successor. The Guardian noted Russian agencies have released intercepted calls before but lacked an obvious motive here. Ukraine, uneasy with Witkoff's role, might want to weaken him and expose the Kremlin ties, but would have weighed the fallout with Washington.

Reaction in Congress crossed party lines. Republican Don Bacon of Nebraska demanded Witkoff be fired, asking whether a Russian paid agent would do less. Democrat Ted Lieu called him an actual traitor. Republican Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania called the leak a major problem and urged that Rubio be allowed to do his job.

Trump defended Witkoff, saying he hadn't heard the call but understood it was standard negotiation, and that a dealmaker sells Ukraine on a deal and Russia on a deal. White House communications director Steven Cheung said nothing was wrong with the "supposed" transcript. Richard Grenell, the special missions envoy, said the leaker should be fired instead. Trump said Witkoff will travel to Russia next week, possibly with son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ushakov confirmed a preliminary agreement on a Moscow visit.