Following the success of the Gaza peace agreement, US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff spoke with a senior Kremlin official over the phone last month, suggesting that they collaborate on a similar plan for Ukraine and that Vladimir Putin bring it up with Donald Trump.
Witkoff gave Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, advice on how to approach Trump about the matter during a little over five-minute phone conversation on October 14. He offered advice on how to use the Gaza agreement as a gateway and arrange a contact between Trump and Putin prior to Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House later that week.
According to a recording of the exchange that Bloomberg examined and transcribed, Witkoff said to Ushakov, “We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you.”
Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, confirmed receiving a request for comment but did not reply right away. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, did not immediately answer questions.
For the first time, the discussion provides direct insight into Witkoff’s current strategies for negotiating with Russia and what seems to be the origin of the 28-point peace proposal that surfaced earlier this month, which Ukraine has been pressured by the US to accept as the foundation of a deal.
This month, Putin expressed his belief that the US plan may serve as the foundation for a peace agreement. At a meeting of the Russian Security Council, he informed top officials that Moscow had received a copy of the 28-point proposal but that it had not yet been thoroughly examined with the United States.
Trump was enjoying the success of his campaign to put a stop to the war in Gaza at the time of the Witkoff-Ushakov call. The day prior, Obama had secured the release of the last 20 hostages held by Hamas, making him the first US president to address the Israeli Knesset since 2008.
However, Trump’s attitude toward Putin seemed to be deteriorating. He was thinking about giving Ukraine longer-range Tomahawk missiles, talking about further penalties against Russia, and expressing his annoyance with Putin as he got ready for his meeting with Zelenskiy on October 17.
Trump said, “I don’t know why he continues with this war,” on October 14, the day Witkoff had a conversation with Ushakov. “He simply does not want that war to end. Additionally, I believe it is negatively portraying him.”
Timeline: US-Russian Communication Regarding Ukraine Plans
- Oct. 13 Trump addresses Knesset as Israeli hostages freed
- Oct. 14 Witkoff speaks to Ushakov, discussed Putin-Trump call
- Oct. 16 Trump speaks with Putin for two and a half hours
- Oct. 17 Zelenskiy visits the White House
- Around Oct. 24-26 Witkoff meets with Dmitriev in Miami
- Oct. 29 Ushakov and Dmitriev discuss Russian strategy in call
Witkoff informed his Russian counterpart over the phone that he had a great deal of respect for Putin and that he had told Trump that he thought Russia had always sought a peace agreement. The US ambassador brought up Zelenskiy’s impending visit and proposed that Putin have a conversation with Trump before the meeting.
“Zelenskiy is coming to the White House on Friday,” stated Witkoff. “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.”
Ushakov asked Witkoff if calling Trump would be “useful” for Putin. It would, according to Witkoff.
Additionally, he suggested that Putin express his regard for the president as a man of peace, congratulate Trump on the Gaza peace agreement, and state that Russia had backed it. “From that, it’s going to be a really good call,” Witkoff declared.
“Here’s what I think would be amazing,” Witkoff continued. “Maybe he says to President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to peace and that could be something that we think might move the needle a little bit, we’re open to those sorts of things.”
Some of the advise seems to be adopted by Ushakov. He stated that Putin “will congratulate” and declare that “Mr. Trump is a real peace man.”
Two days later, at Russia’s request, Trump and Putin spoke over the phone. The US president called the two and a half-hour exchange “very productive.” He then said that Putin had congratulated him on the Gaza agreement and announced arrangements to meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, a summit that has not yet taken place.
According to an interview Dmitriev provided to Axios, Witkoff met with Kirill Dmitriev, another senior Kremlin official, in Miami after that call. Dmitriev told Axios that he traveled to Miami for three days starting on October 24. Dmitriev’s representative declined to comment.
Another recording seen by Bloomberg shows that on October 29, Dmitriev and Ushakov spoke over the phone in Russian how firmly Moscow should insist on its demands in any peace deal.
Ushakov argued in favor of requesting “the maximum” in their recommendations to the White House while the two Putin advisers weighed their choices.
He warned his colleague that he was worried that the US may misread any proposals, remove something, and then claim there was an agreement, endangering the negotiations.
Dmitriev, who also serves as the president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, proposed sharing a document informally and expressed confidence that the US would at least take a fairly similar action to Russia’s version, even if they didn’t adopt it entirely.
Later on, he reassured Ushakov that he would follow instructions and that Ushakov may talk about the paper with “Steve.”
Bloomberg has not been able to verify the specific recommendations that Russia presented with the United States or the degree to which they influenced the final 28-point plan.
But since then, Ukraine has faced intense pressure to approve the proposal that Witkoff and his Kremlin colleagues developed. Although Kyiv has subsequently gained some concessions and convinced the US to slow down after conversations with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, US officials had threatened to cut off vital intelligence support to the Ukrainian military if Zelenskiy rejected the idea.
Ukraine would have to remove its soldiers from areas of the eastern Donbas region that Russia has not been able to militarily seize under the conditions first put up by the US earlier this month. The region would be demilitarized, neutral, and internationally acknowledged as Russian.
Additionally, Moscow would receive de facto acknowledgement of its claims to the areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea. The majority of the remaining front line, including that at Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, would be essentially frozen. The battle should end along the current lines, according to Ukraine and its friends in Europe.
During their conversation last month, Witkoff and Ushakov seemed to predict some of these situations.
“Me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done,” Witkoff stated. “Donetsk and perhaps a land exchange somewhere.” But I think we’re going to get an agreement here, so let’s talk more optimistically instead of like that.”
He continued, “The president will give me a lot of room and discretion to get to the deal.” “So if we can create that opportunity that after this I talked to Yuri and we had a conversation I think that could lead to big stuff.”
“Ok,” Ushakov answered. “That sounds good.”
