Us envoy advised Kremlin on Ukraine peace plan pitch to Trump
According to a new report, US envoy Steve Witkoff counseled a senior Kremlin aide on how President Vladimir Putin should approach a call with Donald Trump regarding Ukraine. Witkoff reportedly suggested Putin praise Trump's Gaza efforts and propose a 20-point peace plan. The White House defended the envoy's actions as part of his peacemaking mandate, while Trump described the tactics as standard negotiation practice.
A recent report has unveiled that US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff offered advice to a high-level Kremlin official on how Russian President Vladimir Putin could present a potential Ukraine peace proposal to former President Donald Trump during a phone conversation last month.
Details of the Advice
Citing a transcript from the October 14 call, Bloomberg reported that Witkoff told Putin's top foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, that the Russian leader should begin by congratulating Trump on the Gaza ceasefire agreement. The envoy further proposed that Putin should then float a similar 20-point peace plan aimed at ending the conflict in Ukraine, with Witkoff reportedly stating, "I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you." He also suggested arranging a call between Trump and Putin before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's scheduled visit to the White House.
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White House and Trump's Response
The White House communications director, Steven Cheung, was quoted defending Witkoff's actions, stating, "This story proves one thing: Special Envoy Witkoff talks to officials in both Russia and Ukraine nearly every day to achieve peace, which is exactly what President Trump appointed him to do." When questioned about the report, Trump himself characterized the advice as a standard negotiation tactic. "That's what a deal maker does," he said aboard Air Force One, adding that he imagined similar discussions were being held with Ukrainian officials to facilitate a compromise.
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Progress in Peace Efforts
This disclosure emerges as Trump signaled the potential for a high-level meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin if diplomatic efforts continue to advance. The former president noted that his team had made "tremendous progress" over the past week on a US-drafted 28-point peace plan. He indicated the framework had been "fine-tuned" with input from both Moscow and Kyiv, leaving only minor points of disagreement. This was followed by a joint statement confirming that talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian officials had yielded an "updated and refined" proposal.
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