Leaked U.S.-Russia call reveals Witkoff's advice on Trump talks

The conversation took place amid negotiations to end the Israel-Hamas war. Witkoff told Ushakov he had "deep respect for Putin" and had assured Trump that Russia "always wanted a peace deal."

Witkoff suggested Putin call Trump before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's October 17 White House visit. The leaders spoke on October 16, when Trump mentioned meeting Putin in Budapest, though the summit did not happen.

"Me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done," Witkoff said. "Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere. But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here."

During the call, Witkoff also coached Ushakov on speaking to Trump.

"I would make the call [to Trump] and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement [Gaza ceasefire], that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen,” Witkoff told Ushakov. “From that, it's going to be a really good call."

Witkoff added, "So I think that would be a good call (...)I told the President that you, that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal. That’s my belief. I told the President I believe that. And I believe the question is, the issue is, is that we have two nations that are having a hard time coming to a compromise and when we do, we’re going to have a peace deal."

The U.S. envoy also floated Washington issuing a "20-point peace proposal," similar to the Gaza deal.

What about the '28 points'?

Bloomberg also published a second transcript — this time between Ushakov and Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev — from October 29.

Dmitriev discussed a "document" he could "informally pass" to the American side, expressing doubt the U.S. would fully accept Russia's version. Below is the dialogue between Ushakov and Dmitriev.

Dmitriev: Well, great, great. Yes, yes, yes. I flew to Saudi Arabia. But it seems to me it’s very important, because it’s a really good way forward.

Ushakov: Well, we need the maximum, don’t you think? What do you think? Otherwise, what’s the point of passing anything on?

Dmitriev: No, look. I think we’ll just make this paper from our position, and I’ll informally pass it along, making it clear that it’s all informal. And let them do like their own. But, I don’t think they’ll take exactly our version, but at least it’ll be as close to it as possible.

Ushakov: Well, that’s exactly the point. They might not take and say that it was agreed with us. That’s what I’m afraid of.

Dmitriev: No, no, no. I’ll say it exactly as you say it, word for word.

Ushakov: They might twist it later, that’s all. There is that risk. There is. Well, alright, never mind. We’ll see.

Dmitriev: Yeah, it seems to me you can talk later with Steve about this paper. We will do everything neatly.

Ushakov: [Unclear]

Dmitriev: Thank you so much, Yuri Viktorovich. Thank you so much, thank you. Goodbye.

It appears Dmitriev and Ushakov were discussing the so-called "28 points," which The Guardian suggested were likely first written in Russian.

Trump's response

Journalists asked Trump if he knew about the published recordings of Witkoff's conversations with Ushakov. He said it's a "standard thing," as the envoy must "sell Ukraine to Russia."

"That's what a dealmaker does," Trump said. "That's a very standard form of negotiation. 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."

Meanwhile, Kirill Dmitriev called the Bloomberg transcript a "fake."

U.S. peace plan

The Trump administration prepared a peace plan for Russia's war against Ukraine. Media reported Washington collaborated with Moscow on the draft, excluding Ukraine and the EU.

The plan has not been officially presented; media disclosed it citing sources. It originally contained 28 points, including demands for Ukraine to cede the rest of Donbas; halve the Armed Forces; freeze the line of contact in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts; and recognize Russian as an official state language. It also called for lifting sanctions on Russia and halting investigations into Russian war crimes.

However, U.S. and Ukrainian representatives prepared a revised framework document after Geneva discussions.

The Financial Times, citing sources familiar with the discussions, reported on November 24 that the new peace plan was shortened from 28 to 19 points. According to the report, the new version incorporated counterproposals from Britain, Germany and France on army limits. It allegedly proposes capping the military at 800,000 troops.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the updated draft does not contain all 28 original points and suggested it "may now be workable."