Witkoff advised Putin aide Ushakov on how to talk to Trump about Ukraine – Bloomberg

The US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff held a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov in October, during which he offered advice on how Russia could better present its proposals for a "peace agreement" to Donald Trump.

Source: Bloomberg, which obtained a recording of the call, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The phone conversation between Witkoff and Ushakov took place on 14 October and lasted just over five minutes.

Witkoff told his Russian counterpart that he had deep respect for Putin and that he had told Trump he believed Russia had always wanted a peace agreement.

The US President's envoy mentioned President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's then upcoming visit and suggested that Putin should speak to Trump before that meeting.

"Zelenskyy is coming to the White House on Friday. I will go to that because they want me there, but I think if possible we have the call with your boss before that Friday meeting," Bloomberg quotes Witkoff as saying.

Ushakov asked Witkoff whether it would be "useful" for Putin to call Trump.

Witkoff replied that it would and also recommended that Putin congratulate Trump on achieving the Gaza peace deal (reached shortly before Witkoff and Ushakov's conversation), say that Russia supported it and stress that he respects the US president as a man of peace.

"From that, it's going to be a really good call," Witkoff said. (The Trump-Putin conversation did indeed take place on 16 October, two days after Witkoff and Ushakov spoke. After it, the US president, who had repeatedly criticised Putin previously, expressed a desire to meet him in Budapest.)

During the same conversation, Trump's envoy discussed with Putin's aide the potential terms of a "peace agreement" between Russia and Ukraine, which were later reflected in the 28-point plan prepared with direct involvement from the Kremlin, without the knowledge of Kyiv or European partners.

"I know what it's going to take to get a peace deal done. Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere. But I'm saying instead of talking like that, let's talk more hopefully because I think we're going to get to a deal here. The president [Trump] will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal," Witkoff said.

Background: The Wall Street Journal described, in a new report, a reconstruction of the events that led to the emergence of a 28-point plan by the US administration for a peaceful settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine.

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