Steve Witkoff doesn’t know Russia or Ukraine. But he is Trump’s man for contacts with Kremlin boss Putin. His proposals influence the course of Ukraine diplomacy.
Adding excitement to the hectic diplomacy over Ukraine comes with the leaking of phone contents between U.S. and Russian negotiators. The US special envoy Steve Witkoff came under criticism; However, President Donald Trump immediately defended him against accusations of excessive proximity to Russia.
“This is a completely normal thing,” said the Republican on a flight to Florida when asked about a sensitive report by the Bloomberg news agency. According to her own information, she obtained a recording of a five-minute telephone conversation on October 14th, which she published as a written transcript.
In it, Witkoff speaks with Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy advisor to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. He apparently gives him tips on how to get Trump’s ear with praise for his peace in Gaza. In fact, the advice appears to have resulted in a phone call between Putin and Trump on October 16th. The American then held out the prospect of another summit in the Hungarian capital Budapest. A visit by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House on October 17 lost its significance.
Kremlin sees attempt to torpedo peace negotiations
Witkoff (68) is not a diplomat, but a real estate entrepreneur like Trump. While there were calls for Witkoff’s resignation even within the Republican Party, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the Russian side interpreted the publication as an attempt to undermine peace efforts. “It is clear that there are many people in various countries, including the United States, who want to stop the trend towards peace,” he said, according to state news agency Tass. At the same time, he did not attach great importance to the leak.
Ushakov said his conversations with Vitkoff were not intended for public consumption. “Nobody is allowed to make this public. Nobody,” he said, according to Tass. It is not known where the recording came from.
Trump: “Completely normal negotiations”
Trump said he didn’t hear the recording of the conversation, but to him the whole thing sounded like “normal negotiations.” Russian positions must be communicated to Ukraine and, conversely, Moscow’s demands from Kyiv. When asked whether his special envoy was too Russia-friendly, Trump replied that the war could last for years – and that Russia has “many more residents and soldiers” than Ukraine. If the attacked country can negotiate a deal, he thinks that would be “a good thing.”
Second phone call: Where does the US peace plan come from?
The Bloomberg report also cites an internal Russian phone call from the end of October between Putin advisor Ushakov and special envoy Kirill Dmitriyev. He suggested leaking an unofficial document as an alleged peace plan. Even if the US does not adopt this completely, enough Moscow perspectives would still be taken into account, Dmitriyev argued.
This passage reinforces circulating suspicions that the peace plan that the US has been advocating since last week has at least partly Russian roots. The independent research portal “The Insider” also reported that the peace plan was largely penned by Dmitriyev.
Witkoff should meet Putin again
Despite the excitement surrounding the phone calls, diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, which has lasted more than three and a half years, continue. Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week and will most likely be received by Putin, Ushakov confirmed in statements to Russian state television. There is no exact date yet. Trump ordered this trip on Tuesday evening, as well as another conversation between negotiator Daniel Driscoll and the Ukrainians.
EU Foreign Minister for additional pressure on Moscow
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wants to increase the chances of success of the current US initiative to end the Ukraine war by putting additional pressure on Russia. In order to secure the best possible result for Ukraine and for Europe, the pace must be increased in this direction, she said after a video link with the foreign ministers of the EU states and their Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sybiha. This means: “More sanctions to deprive Russia of the means to continue the war, and more military and financial support for Ukraine.”
Von der Leyen: Russian money for Ukraine
Despite the US initiative to end the war, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pushing ahead with plans to use frozen Russian assets in the EU. Von der Leyen told the EU Parliament in Strasbourg that she could not imagine a scenario in which only European taxpayers would foot the bill for the continued support needed for Ukraine. The Commission is ready to present a legal text for the use of Russian central bank funds fixed in Europe.
The current plans envisage giving Ukraine loans worth up to 140 billion euros using Russian funds. Russia should only get the money back if it makes reparations payments after its war of aggression against Ukraine ends.
dpa
