Martial Trezzini / EPA
Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio
Telephone call between White House envoy and Kremlin official revealed – who received tips on how to speak to Donald Trump.
It is the first revelation of behind the scenes the negotiations about peace in Ukraine, that the White House has tried to lead in recent months.
A managed to access – without saying how – a phone call between the US special envoy and a senior Kremlin official – who was given tips on how to speak to Donald Trump.
The US presidential envoy is Steve Witkoff, who had just emerged as the “winner” of the peace agreement in Gaza: and who took advantage of this “momentum”.
The Kremlin official is Yuri Ushakov, main foreign policy advisor to Vladimir Putin, president of Russia.
The transcript of this phone call – made on October 16 – shows that the US official tells the Russian official how Vladimir Putin should present the peace plan to Donald Trump.
In a short conversation, lasting about 5 minutes, Witkoff advised Ushakov to organize a phone call between Trump and Putin before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House that same week – and use the Gaza agreement as a gateway.
“We put together a 20-point Trump plan, which was 20 points for peace (in Gaza), and I think maybe we’ll do the same thing with you,” Witkoff told Ushakov.
In the same phone call, the US envoy tells the Russian official that Putin should congratulate Trump, praise him for the “success” in Gaza. “Go congratulate him, say that Mr. Trump is truly a man of peace“, disse Steve Witkoff.
The White House envoy also advised Russia to take control of Donetsk; and should consider a territorial exchange separate.
“Now, between us, I know what it will take to reach a peace agreement: Donetsk and maybe a swap of territory somewhere,” suggests Trump’s special envoy.
“Let’s talk in a more hopeful way, because I think let’s get a deal”, continues Witkoff.
Steve Witkoff will be in Russia next week.
This unprecedented revelation appears to be at the origin of the peace proposal presented by the USA.
Now, it remains to be seen how Ukraine and Europe react to this content and this tone of behind-the-scenes conversation between the USA and Russia.
As suggested by , this information leak can affect negotiations of peace in Ukraine: “It could lose a lot, it could derail progress in the negotiations”.
