Leaked transcript of Witkoff’s Kremlin call ‘reads like two like-minded partners’
The leaked transcript of a phone call between Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and top Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov “underscores the fears of those who believe the White House’s default position (on Ukraine) leans towards Putin”, says FRANCE 24’s international affairs editor Douglas Herbert.
US peace plan for Ukraine drew from Russian document, Reuters reports
The US-backed 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, which became public last week, drew from a Russian-authored paper submitted to the Trump administration in October, Reuters has reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
The Russians shared the paper, which outlined Moscow’s conditions for ending the war, with senior US officials in mid-October, following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington, the sources said.
The paper, a non-official communication known in diplomatic parlance as a “non-paper,” contained language that the Russian government had previously put forward at the negotiating table, including concessions that Ukraine had rejected such as ceding a significant chunk of its territory in the east.
This is the first confirmation that the document — whose existence was initially reported by Reuters in October — was a key input in the 28-point peace plan.
The US State Department and the Russian and Ukrainian embassies in Washington did not respond to Reuter’s request for comment.
Body of Gaza hostage handed over on Tuesday identified
Authorities in Israel have confirmed that the latest remains handed over by Gaza militants this week were that of an Israeli hostage held in the Palestinian territory.
“Following the identification process by the National Centre of Forensic Medicine, representatives of the army informed the family of the deceased captive, Dror Or, that their relative had been repatriated to Israel,” read a statement released by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
Kremlin says leak of Witkoff call is attempt to hinder Ukraine peace talks
The leak of a telephone conversation between senior Kremlin and US officials is an attempt to hinder the talks on a possible peace deal for Ukraine, Putin’s foreign policy aid has said.
Asked why his conversation with Trump’s envoy Witkoff had been leaked, Yuri Ushakov told Russian state television: “To hinder, probably. It is unlikely this was done to improve relations.”
“As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week.”
US envoy advised Russian official to ‘flatter’ Trump, report says
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised a senior Kremlin official on how Vladimir Putin should pitch a Ukraine peace deal to President Donald Trump, according to a transcript of their discussion published Tuesday by Bloomberg.
The phone conversation in mid-October appears to point to the origins of a Trump-endorsed 28-point proposal that was widely seen as favoring Moscow by requiring Ukraine to make significant territorial concessions and pledge not to join NATO.
Bloomberg said it had produced the transcript after reviewing a recording of the conversation between Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor — but gave no indication of how the recording was acquired.
According to the transcript, Witkoff said during the call that he believes Russia — which started the war in Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022 — “has always wanted a peace deal,” and that he has “the deepest respect for President Putin.”
The US envoy advised Ushakov that Putin should flatter Trump during an upcoming call over the recently concluded Gaza ceasefire and say “that you respect that he is a man of peace and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen.”
Zelensky told allies ‘ready to move forward’ with US plan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has told allies that Kyiv is ready to “move forward” on a new “framework” of a US plan to end fighting with Russia, but that there are still “sensitive points” he wants to discuss with Donald Trump.
“Ukraine has the framework developed by our teams in Geneva. That framework is on the table, and we’re ready to move forward together,” Zelensky on Tuesday told leaders of the Coalition of the Willing — some 30 countries supporting Ukraine — according to a copy of his speech.
“And I am ready to meet with President Trump — there are sensitive points to discuss, we have them still,” the text said.
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US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is sending his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week as he seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that there were “only a few remaining points of disagreement”.
European leaders, however, remained sceptical, and Russian missiles continued to rain down on Ukraine.
The US president also expressed hope to meet “soon” with Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, “but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages.”
