The Secret Backchannel: US Envoy Steve Witkoff Coached Kremlin on Pitching Trump
- A leaked recording reveals US envoy Steve Witkoff coached Kremlin officials on how to flatter Donald Trump to secure a Ukraine peace deal, using the recent Gaza agreement as a template.
A recently surfaced recording has revealed a startling diplomatic maneuver in which US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff actively advised the Kremlin on how to successfully pitch a Ukraine peace plan to Donald Trump. During a phone call in mid-October, Witkoff provided detailed coaching to Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide. The conversation, which lasted just over five minutes, occurred shortly after the US administration celebrated a diplomatic breakthrough in Gaza, a victory Witkoff suggested using as a blueprint for the Ukraine conflict.
Witkoff’s strategy relied heavily on appealing to Trump’s desire for validation as a peacemaker. He specifically instructed Ushakov to have Putin flatter the US President by praising the recent Gaza ceasefire deal and explicitly calling Trump a "man of peace." The envoy’s logic was that connecting the Ukrainian situation to the perceived success in the Middle East would make Trump more amenable to a Russian proposal. Witkoff suggested that Putin should propose a "20-point plan" similar to the structure used in the Gaza negotiations, framing it as a collaborative effort to "move the needle.
The timing of this backchannel communication was calculated to preempt Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House later that week. Witkoff urged the Russians to arrange a call between Putin and Trump before Zelensky arrived, effectively allowing Moscow to set the narrative tone. This advice appears to have been successful; Putin called Trump two days later, a conversation Trump described as "very productive." This sequence of events marked a shift in Trump’s attitude, which had previously been souring regarding Putin’s refusal to end the war.
This coordination appears to be the genesis of the controversial "28-point peace plan" that has recently come to light. The proposal, which the US is now pushing Ukraine to accept, heavily favors Russian interests. Under the reported terms, Ukraine would be forced to withdraw troops from key areas in the eastern Donbas region that Russia has struggled to capture militarily. These areas would then become a neutral, demilitarized buffer zone, while Moscow would receive de facto recognition of its claims over Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk.
Behind the scenes, Russian officials were careful to strategize their response to Witkoff’s overtures to ensure they maximized their gains. Follow-up recordings and reports indicate that Ushakov and another Kremlin adviser, Kirill Dmitriev, debated how aggressively to push their demands. Ushakov argued for asking for "the maximum" in their initial written proposals to the White House, fearing that American negotiators might dilute their terms. They aimed to ensure that even a compromised version of the deal would still result in a strategic victory for Moscow.
When confronted about the nature of these backchannel talks, Donald Trump dismissed concerns, characterizing the interaction as standard procedure for a "dealmaker." He argued that Witkoff’s role is to sell the reality of the situation to both sides, implying that similar pressure is being applied to Kyiv. However, the revelation has placed immense pressure on the Ukrainian government. Reports suggest that US officials have threatened to cut off critical intelligence support if Zelensky rejects the framework, forcing Kyiv into a precarious negotiating position.
The leak of this conversation has caused ripples in Moscow, with Ushakov implying that while the recording is genuine, its release damages an already fragile diplomatic relationship. Despite the controversy, the momentum for the deal continues. Trump recently stated that the plan has been "fine-tuned" with input from both sides and that only a few points of disagreement remain. Witkoff is now expected to travel to Moscow to finalize the proposal, signaling that the US is moving quickly to close the chapter on the war, largely on terms that were quietly shaped during that private October phone call.