President Trump has defended his special envoy Steve Witkoff after the leak of an October phone call in which Witkoff advised a senior Russian official on how to present a Ukraine peace proposal to Trump. A transcript published by Bloomberg — which NPR and other outlets have not independently verified — indicates Witkoff coached the Kremlin aide on flattering Trump and floated concessions such as Russian control of Donetsk. Trump has dismissed the exchange as standard negotiation practice amid criticism that Witkoff is too close to Moscow’s position.
On Oct. 14, in the run-up to the release of a controversial U.S.-backed peace framework for Ukraine, Steve Witkoff — President Trump’s longtime friend and chief negotiator on Ukraine and other crises — spoke by phone with Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy adviser.
According to a transcript of the call reviewed by Bloomberg and cited by multiple outlets, including NPR and the Associated Press, Witkoff advised Ushakov on how Putin should approach Trump about a Russian-backed Ukraine peace proposal. Witkoff suggested that Putin schedule a call with Trump before Trump’s planned meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that the Russian leader praise Trump for brokering a recent cease-fire between Israel and Hamas as evidence he was "a man of peace." Bloomberg has not disclosed how it obtained the recording, and NPR has noted that it has not independently verified the audio or transcript.
In the same call, Witkoff is quoted as telling Ushakov: "Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere," while urging the Russian side to speak in more optimistic terms to help him win Trump’s trust and leeway in talks. The remarks, as reported by Bloomberg and summarized by outlets such as The Daily Wire, have fueled accusations that Witkoff was aligning himself with core Russian territorial demands.
Separate reporting by Bloomberg and other news organizations describes a draft 28‑point U.S. peace plan for Ukraine that emerged in November and was widely seen as favoring Moscow. According to accounts summarized by NPR, the Associated Press and independent analyses, the initial draft would recognize Russian control over Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk; freeze front lines elsewhere; cap the size of Ukraine’s armed forces; and bar Ukraine from joining NATO, while allowing Ukraine to pursue European Union membership and providing some form of U.S. security guarantee. The plan also envisions using frozen Russian assets and substantial Western funding for reconstruction. Critics say these terms echo long-standing Russian demands and would require major Ukrainian concessions.
Reporting by Axios, Bloomberg and others, reflected in subsequent summaries by NPR and in public commentary, indicates that the original version of the 28‑point framework was discussed in late October talks involving Witkoff and Kremlin-linked investor Kirill Dmitriev in Florida, with Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner also drawn into the broader discussions. Dmitriev has publicly denied participating in a separate leaked call described by Bloomberg, and Russian officials have accused Western media of waging an information war. The Kremlin has condemned the leak of the Witkoff–Ushakov call as an act of "hybrid warfare" and has not confirmed the full contents of the reported peace plan.
The emerging framework has drawn heavy criticism from Ukraine supporters and some U.S. lawmakers, who describe it as tilted toward Russia, the aggressor in the war, at the expense of Ukraine, a U.S. partner. Several Western officials quoted in news reports have characterized the original draft as resembling "a wish list of the Russians" and say it would require substantial revision before it could serve as a balanced negotiating basis. While Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been involved in subsequent efforts to refine U.S. proposals, news accounts do not support the claim that he personally rewrote the 28‑point plan or that a single, revised version has been formally adopted and then rejected by Putin.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has been tasked by the Trump administration with engaging Ukrainian officials as part of the broader diplomatic push, and Trump has said he plans to send Witkoff back to Moscow for further talks with Russian counterparts. However, there is no evidence in the available reporting that Driscoll has presented the original 28‑point document to Kyiv as a formal ultimatum or that Trump issued, and then relaxed, a specific Thanksgiving deadline for Kyiv and Moscow to accept it. Those details are not reflected in the NPR, AP or other mainstream accounts of the process.
Aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Trump brushed aside concerns about Witkoff’s conduct. Asked about the leaked call, he told reporters, "That’s a standard thing, you know, because he’s gotta sell this to Ukraine, he’s gotta sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a deal maker does." Trump added that he had not listened to the recording but was told it reflected routine bargaining: "I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiation. And I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each party has to give and take." He also argued that, given Russia’s greater manpower, it is in Ukraine’s interest to reach an agreement, saying a negotiated deal "is a good thing" and "great for both" sides, according to The Daily Wire’s account of his remarks.
The phone call and the reported contours of the peace blueprint have sparked bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill. Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a strong supporter of Ukraine, wrote on social media that Witkoff "fully favors the Russians" and "cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations," adding, "Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired." Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania called the call "a major problem" and cited it as one of the reasons he opposes "ridiculous side shows and secret meetings," according to comments reported by conservative and mainstream outlets. Other lawmakers, including some Democrats, have similarly questioned whether Witkoff is seeking a balanced settlement or carrying water for Moscow.
Witkoff, a prominent real estate developer and longtime Trump associate who previously played a role in Trump’s Middle East initiatives, has little traditional diplomatic experience and has drawn scrutiny for his personal, back‑channel style. Critics in policy circles argue that his approach and the substance of the 28‑point draft show a clear pro‑Russian tilt, while some of Trump’s allies and donors have praised Witkoff as a tough negotiator capable of structuring complex, high‑stakes deals. Publicly available accounts do not substantiate specific quotes in which Witkoff calls Putin "not a bad guy," though analysts have repeatedly noted his willingness to engage the Russian leader directly.
Foreign‑policy experts and former officials have warned that any durable settlement to the war will require more than high‑level dealmaking. Analysts interviewed by NPR, including former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, Richard Fontaine of the Center for a New American Security, and longtime U.S. negotiator Aaron David Miller, have stressed that while Trump’s desire to end the fighting and secure a legacy‑defining peace agreement is driving his push, the conflict’s complexity, the scale of Russia’s invasion and the stakes for Ukraine and Europe mean that any serious plan must combine credible security guarantees, economic incentives and clear disincentives for further Russian aggression.
