US Envoy in Ukraine Talks Accused of Favoring Russia

President Trump's chief interlocutor with the Russian government last month advised a senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the US president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a transcript of the call published by Bloomberg on Tuesday, per the AP. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a transcript of the Oct. 14 call published by the news service, advised Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov that Putin should call Trump to congratulate him for the Gaza peace deal, say Russia had supported it, and that he respects the president as a man of peace. "From that, it's going to be a really good call," Witkoff reportedly said.

When asked by Russian state media to comment on Bloomberg's report, Ushakov did not question the recordings' authenticity but said that they had not been leaked by Moscow. He also said that the calls had likely been leaked to "hinder" US-Russia ties. Ushakov said that he spoke with Witkoff by phone "quite often" but refused to discuss the content of the recording. "The essence of these conversations is that they are confidential. I won't comment. No one should comment," he said. The Bloomberg report came as Trump on Tuesday said a proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine has been "fine-tuned" and announced he's sending Witkoff to meet with Putin.

The White House did not dispute the veracity of the transcript, and Trump described Witkoff's reported approach to the Russians in the call as "standard" negotiating procedure. "He's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew to his home in Florida on Tuesday night. "That's what a dealmaker does." But US Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who has been critical of Trump's approach to Ukraine, said the transcript showed Witkoff favors the Russians. "He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations" and "should be fired," Bacon said on social media. Read more about the call here.