In US-Russia reset for Ukraine peace push, a call leak shows ‘how to pitch to Trump’: Where war stands, in 6 points
Questions are being raised over Donald Trump's plan to put certain conditions on Ukraine. His peace push is being described as “Russian wish list” by many.
Russia has confirmed that US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week, amid renewed efforts for a consensus on ending the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine. But it's all at a phone-call stage, according to Yuri Ushakov, President Vladimir Putin's foreign affairs adviser.
Details of one such call have leaked, as per news agencies Bloomberg and AP, and revealed the inner workings of Trump and his peace plan.
What Russians said on peace talks
Kremlin officials said they have not seen a US peace proposal as such, though representatives of the United States, Russia and Ukraine held talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. “Contact is ongoing, including via telephone, but no one has yet sat down at a round table and discussed this point-by-point. That hasn't happened,” Ushakov told Russian state media.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also noted that Ukraine is still getting US-made weapons and intelligence inputs despite signals from Washington about improving ties with Moscow.
Ryabkov also said on Wednesday that Moscow remains in close contact with China about diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.
Two major leaks or reports have come in the middle of this.
Leaks show Trump's mind
Trump's plan for ending the war became public last week, and the initial version appeared heavily slanted toward Russian demands.
After weekend talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the plan could be “workable,” although key points remain unresolved. A Ukrainian official said Zelensky hoped to meet with Trump in coming days.
Meanwhile, a report by Blomberg said Witkoff he coached Ushakov, Putin's adviser, on how Putin should pitch Trump on the Ukraine peace plan.
Witkoff, according to a transcript of the October 14 call published by the news service, advised Yuri Ushakov that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him for the Gaza peace deal, say Russia supported it, and then say that he respects the US president as a man of peace.
“From that, it's going to be a really good call,” Witkoff said according to the transcript published by Bloomberg.
‘That’s what a dealmaker does'
Trump was asked about it. He described Witkoff's approach in the call as “standard” negotiating procedure. “He's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia,” Trump told reporters, “That's what a dealmaker does.”
When asked by Russian state media to comment on Bloomberg's report, Ushakov did not question the recordings' authenticity but said that they had not been leaked by Moscow. He also said that the calls had likely been leaked to “hinder” US-Russia ties.
Ushakov also said that he spoke with Witkoff by phone “quite often” but refused to discuss the content of the recording. “The essence of these conversations is that they are confidential. I won't comment. No one should comment.”
The Bloomberg report came as Trump on Tuesday said a proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine has been “fine-tuned” and announced he's sending Witkoff to meet with Putin.
The Witkoff-Ushakov call of October 14 happened a day after Trump made a triumphant visit to Israel and Egypt to celebrate the Gaza ceasefire. In it, Ushakov reportedly agreed that Putin “will congratulate” and will say “Mr Trump is a real peace man.”
Three days after the call, shortly after a meeting with Zelensky on October 17, Trump said that Ukraine and Russia should “stop where they are” on the battlefield — meaning Ukraine should concede territory Russia had seized.
What Trump's ‘skewed’ plan says
Trump's original plan, which became public last week, appeared heavily skewed toward Russian demands and included calls for Ukraine to cede the entire Donbas region to Russia, and dramatically reduce the size of its military, according to AP.
It also included an agreement from Europe that Ukraine will never be allowed to join the NATO military alliance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted the proposal was authored by the United States, with input from both the Russians and Ukrainians. Trump's Republican party's leaders as well as Democrats have said the leaked plan amounted to a Russian wish list.
What Europe says on Trump's peace plan
European countries, who are alarmed by Russia's aggression and see their own future at stake in negotiations over Ukraine, are fighting to make their voice heard in the talks as the US takes the lead.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, “An agreement negotiated by great powers without the approval of the Ukrainians and without the approval of the Europeans won't be a basis for a real, sustainable peace in Ukraine.”
The head of the European Union's executive, Ursula Von der Leyen, was upbeat, though, about recent developments, saying there is “an opportunity here to make real progress” toward peace.
She insisted that any settlement must include future security guarantees for Ukraine. At the same time, she said a deal cannot contain limitations on Ukraine's armed forces or block its path to NATO membership.
Where the war actually stands
Russia's war in Ukraine continued as a backdrop to the diplomacy. The southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia came under a large Russian drone attack overnight, damaging more than 50 residential buildings, including a university dormitory filled with people, the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said.
The attack injured at least 19 people, he said.
Russian air defences, meanwhile, downed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight over various Russian regions and the Black Sea, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
