US President’s envoy Steve Witkoff, during a phone call with Vladimir Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov in October, proposed working together on a joint peace plan for Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
Ukrainian representatives were not invited to prepare for these talks, meaning Kyiv’s proposals were not taken into account.
In addition, the discussions may have influenced US President Donald Trump’s decision to deny Ukraine Tomahawk missiles, which the country needs for its defense.
A “peace plan” for Ukraine without Ukraine
The call provides the first direct insight into Witkoff’s negotiating tactics with Russia and into what may have inspired the 28-point peace proposal.
According to Bloomberg, Witkoff advised Ushakov on how Putin should discuss Ukraine with Trump. This conversation appears to have served as a starting point for the US 28-point proposal, which was called by officials and activists a path to Ukraine's capitulation.
Under the initial terms, Ukraine would have to withdraw troops from parts of eastern Donbas that Russia failed to seize militarily. This territory would become a neutral, demilitarized buffer zone, internationally recognized as Russian.
“From that, it’s going to be a really good call"
Witkoff suggested that Putin call Trump before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House, and also congratulate Trump on the Gaza peace deal.
“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,” Witkoff told Ushakov, according to a transcript obtained by Bloomberg.
Ushakov asked whether it would be “helpful” for Putin to call Trump before Zelenskyy’s visit. Witkoff said that it would.
He also recommended that Putin congratulate Trump on the Gaza agreement, express Russia's support for it, and acknowledge Trump as a man of peace.
“From that, it’s going to be a really good call,” Witkoff said.
He 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.”
Ushakov appears to have followed some of Witkoff’s advice. Bloomberg notes that Putin did congratulate Trump during their call and said, “Mr. Trump is a real peace man.”
The next day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington seeking Tomahawks and was rejected.
The US has exerted pressure on Ukraine since meetings with Russian officials
Trump later called his conversation with Putin “very productive.” He then announced plans for a meeting with the Russian leader in Budapest, and mentioned that Putin had congratulated him on the Gaza deal.
Following the call, Witkoff met in Miami with Kirill Dmitriev, another senior adviser to the Kremlin. Dmitriev later told Axios that he spent three days in Miami, starting on 24 October.
On 29 October, Dmitriev and Ushakov discussed by phone how firmly Moscow should insist on its demands in any peace proposal, according to another transcript reviewed by Bloomberg.
As the two Putin aides weighed their options, Ushakov pushed for maximalist demands in communications with the White House.
Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund, suggested leaking the document unofficially and said he was confident that even if Washington didn’t fully accept Moscow’s version, it would adopt something very close.
Bloomberg notes that it could not verify exactly which proposals Russia gave to the US or how much they influenced the 28-point plan.
However, since then, Ukraine has faced intense pressure to accept the proposal developed by Witkoff with help from his Kremlin counterparts.
The US threatened to cut critical intelligence support for Ukraine’s military needed to intercept Russian ballistic missiles firing at residential buildings if Zelenskyy refused. Still, Kyiv has since secured some concessions from Washington.
Reactions of Trump and Ushakov to the leaks
Speaking to Russian media, Ushakov said the transcripts were intended to obstruct the normalization of US–Russian relations, BBC reports.
Asked about Witkoff’s call, Trump said he had not reviewed the transcript but had heard it was “standard negotiations.”
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