Russia got tips from Witkoff on presenting Ukraine peace plan to Trump - Bloomberg

Leak of Witkoff’s conversation with Ushakov

According to Bloomberg, in a phone call on November 14, Witkoff gave Ushakov advice on how to discuss the peace issue regarding Ukraine with Trump.

Specifically, the recommendations included arranging a conversation between Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at the White House, as well as suggesting the use of a Gaza agreement as a supporting tool.

“We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you,” Witkoff told Ushakov.

According to Bloomberg, the conversation offered the first direct insight into Witkoff’s recent tactics in negotiations with Russia and what apparently formed the basis of the 28-point peace plan for Ukraine.

During the call, Witkoff told Ushakov that he deeply respects Putin and that, as he had told Trump, he believes Russia has always wanted a peace agreement.

Witkoff mentioned Zelenskyy’s upcoming visit and suggested that Putin speak with the White House leader before this meeting.

“Zelenskiy is coming to the White House on Friday. I will go to that because they want me there, but I think if possible we have the call with your boss before that Friday meeting,” Witkoff said.

He then asked Ushakov whether it would be helpful for Putin to call Trump, to which Witkoff responded affirmatively.

He also recommended that Putin congratulate Trump on a Gaza peace deal and say that Russia supported it. Additionally, he suggested adding that Russia respects the US president as a person striving for peace.

“From that, it’s going to be a really good call. Here’s what I think would be amazing,” the Trump special envoy said.

He added: “Maybe he says to President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to peace and that could be something that we think might move the needle a little bit, we’re open to those sorts of things.”

Ushakov apparently followed some of the advice. According to him, Putin will congratulate and say: “Mr Trump is a real peace man.”

Witkoff’s meeting with Dmitriev and the possibility that the US peace plan was actually Russian

After Trump and Putin spoke, Witkoff soon met in Miami with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. As the Kremlin representative told Axios in an interview, he was in Miami for three days starting October 24.

According to another record reviewed by Bloomberg, on October 29, Dmitriev and Ushakov spoke by phone in Russian, discussing how strongly Moscow should insist on its demands in any peace proposal.

While the two Putin aides considered various options, Ushakov insisted that Russia request the maximum in its proposals to the White House.

He expressed concern that the US might misinterpret any proposals, remove something, and then declare an agreement, which could jeopardize the completion of negotiations.

Dmitriev, in turn, suggested informally sharing the document and expressed confidence that even if the US did not fully accept the Russian version, they would at least do something very close to it.

Later, he assured Ushakov that he would follow what he was instructed to say, so that Ushakov could later discuss the document with Steve.

Bloomberg notes that it could not confirm exactly which proposals Russia shared with the US or to what extent they influenced the final 28-point plan.

Trump’s peace plan

Recently, Western media reported a new US peace plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. It consisted of 28 points but was seen as favorable to Russia.

In particular, the document called for Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas, reduce its military, give up long-range weapons, and more. In this context, on Sunday, November 23, a meeting was held in Geneva between delegations from the US, Ukraine, and Europe to revise the document and make it more advantageous for Kyiv.

According to the Financial Times, the document was shortened from 28 to 19 points. There was also information that Ukraine had supposedly agreed to reduce the size of its armed forces to 800,000 (the initial draft set it at 600,000).

US President Donald Trump gave Ukraine an ultimatum — to agree to the deal by November 27. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during the Geneva talks that the deadline could still be adjusted.

Yesterday, Trump announced that Witkoff would hold negotiations with Putin, and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would meet with the Ukrainian side to advance the coordination of the peace plan between the US, Ukraine, and Russia.

After the Geneva meeting, Kyiv and Washington issued a joint statement saying that a framework document had been developed, and the final version would be agreed upon at the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting.

According to Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, Zelenskyy is ready to meet with Trump as soon as possible, which could happen on November 27. He also confirmed that Driscoll will arrive in Kyiv this week to continue refining the document.