Putin aide on leak of call with Trump envoy Witkoff: "We speak often"

Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, has said he does not know how the media obtained details of his phone conversations with Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy. He insisted that Russia has not carried out any surveillance in this regard or leaked the information.

Source: Ushakov speaking to Pavel Zarubin, a journalist at the Rossiya TV channel

Quote: "I often talk to Witkoff. But I don't comment on the content. And regarding Dmitriev, why? [He is – ed.] a representative of Russia. I can talk on the phone with you and with any other person. The same goes for Dmitriev. Why should my conversation with Dmitriev be of interest?"

Details: Asked whether the conversations reported by the media truly reflected what was said, Ushakov refused to discuss it, saying the calls are confidential.

Speaking about how the information may have reached the press, he suggested the calls could have been intercepted: "Someone may be listening, I don't know. Someone is leaking, someone is listening. But that wasn't us."

Asked why such leaks are being made, he suggested they were intended "to interfere with us".

"It is unlikely they are doing this to improve relations, which are currently being built with difficulty – in part through engagements of this kind," he added.

Quote: "Regarding Witkoff, I can say that provisional agreements have been reached that he will travel to Moscow next week, along with several other members of the administration [President Donald Trump's administration – ed.] involved in Ukrainian affairs."

Background: Earlier, media reports emerged that US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had a telephone conversation with Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov in October, during which he gave advice on how Russia could better present its proposals for a "peace plan" to Donald Trump.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!