Steve Witkoff helped the Kremlin reach Trump: details of negotiations emerge
26 November 2025 11:11
Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, advised Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov over the phone on how to best convey Russian ideas for a “peaceful resolution” of the war against Ukraine to Trump. This was reported by Bloomberg, pointing out that the American 28-point “peace plan” could partially have Russian roots, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Vitkoff – Ushakov conversation
According to journalists, the phone call took place on November 14. During the conversation, Vitkoff:
- suggested organizing a call between Trump and Putin before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House;
- advised Putin to congratulate Trump on the “peace agreement on Gaza”
- recommended emphasizing “support for Russia” and calling Trump “a man who fights for peace.”
Vitkoff also suggested that Putin should tell Trump: “You know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to achieve peace (in Ukraine – ed.), and we think that could move the situation forward a little bit, we are open to such proposals.”
According to Bloomberg, judging by Ushakov’s reaction, the Russian official took the advice: he promised that Putin would congratulate Trump and call him a “true peacemaker.”
The Miami meeting and Russian fears
After the phone call, Vitkoff met in Miami with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Bloomberg also reports that:
- “On Oct. 29, Dmitriev and Ushakov discussed by phone Russian proposals that the Kremlin planned to informally convey to the White House;
- Ushakov insisted that Russia “ask for the maximum,” fearing that the United States would reject certain points;
- Dmitriev was confident that even the shortened American version would be “very close” to the Russian one.
Although journalists were not able to find out exactly which points Russia passed on to the American side, the published conversations indicate close informal communication between Witkoff and the Kremlin on the development of a “peace plan.”
Trump’s reaction: “This is a normal negotiation process”
Commenting on Bloomberg’s publication on board Air Force One, Donald Trump said that:
- “did not read the article,
- did not see “anything unusual” in Vitkoff’s actions,
- and considered such advice standard in negotiations.
“You see, he needs to ‘sell’ it to Ukraine, he needs to ‘sell’ Ukraine to Russia. That’s exactly what he… that’s exactly what a deal maker does. You have to say, “Look, they want this, you have to convince them of this.” You know, it’s a very standard form of negotiation. I haven’t heard it, but I’ve heard that it was a standard negotiation process. And I can imagine… I can imagine that he would say the same thing to Ukraine, because each side has something to give and something to get,” Trump said.
When asked by the journalist about Witkoff’s possible pro-Russian bias, Trump responded in the negative, adding that the war could last for years, because “Russia has a lot more people.”
“So I think if Ukraine can make a deal, it’s good. I think it’s great for both. Honestly, I think it’s great for both. But Ukraine has, you know, much less… much less people. They’ve lost a lot of people. Russia has lost a lot of people, but Russia has a much larger human resource,” Trump summarized.
Verbatim fragments of the conversation
Literal translation of the conversation between Vitkoff and Ushakov
[Phone call]
Steve Witkoff (SW): Hello, Yuri.
Yuri Ushakov (YU): Yes, Steve, hi, how are you?
SW: Good, Yuri. How are you?
YU: I’m fine. Congratulations, my friend.
SW: Thank you.
YU: You did a great job. Just a great job. Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you.
SW: Thank you, Yuri, and thank you for your support. I know your country has supported this, and I thank you.
YU: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. You know, that’s why we suspended the organization of the first Russian-Arab summit.
SW: Yeah.
YU: Yeah, because we think you’re doing real work there in the region.
SW: Well, listen. I’ll tell you something. I think, I think if we can solve the Russia-Ukraine issue, everybody will jump for joy.
YU: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you only have to solve one problem. [laughs]
SW: What is it?
YU: The Russian-Ukrainian war.
SW: I know! How do we solve it?
YU: Man, I just want your advice. Do you think it would be helpful if our bosses talked on the phone?
SW: Yes, I think it would.
YU: You think so. And when do you think it might be possible?
SW: I think as soon as you suggest it, my guy [Trump] will be ready to do it.
YU: Good, good.
SW: Yuri, Yuri, here’s what I would do. My recommendation.
YU: Yes, please.
SW: I would call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported him, you backed him, that you respect him as a man of peace, and you’re just, you’re really glad that this happened. So I would say that. I think the call will be really good after that. Because – let me tell you what I said to the President. I told the president that you – that the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace agreement. That is my belief. I told the president that I believe that. And I believe that the issue is – the problem is that we have two nations that have a hard time coming to a compromise, and when we do, we will have a peace agreement. I even think that maybe we will put together a 20-point peace proposal, just like we did in Gaza. We put together Trump’s 20-point plan, which was a 20-point plan for peace, and I think maybe we’ll do the same with you. My point is that…
YU: Okay, okay, man. I think that’s something that our leaders could discuss. Hey Steve, I agree with you that he will congratulate, he will say that Mr. Trump is a true peacemaker and so on. He will say that.
SW: But here’s what I think would be terrific.
YU: Okay, okay.
SW: What if, what if… listen to me.
YU: I’ll discuss it with my boss and then I’ll get back to you. Okay?
SW: Yeah, because listen to what I’m saying. I just want you to say, maybe just say it to President Putin, because you know, I have the deepest respect for President Putin.
YU: Yeah, yeah.
SW: Maybe he’ll tell President Trump, you know, Steve and Yuri have been discussing a very similar 20-point plan for peace, and that might be something that we think might move things along a little bit, we’re open to that kind of thing – to explore what it would take to get a peace deal done. Now, from me to you, I know what it would take to make a peace deal: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere. But I say, instead of saying that, let’s say it in a more hopeful way, because I think we will come to an agreement here. And I think, Yuriy, the president will give me a lot of space and freedom of action to come to an agreement.
YU: I understand…
SW: …so if we can create that opportunity that after that I talked to Yuri and we had a conversation, I think that could lead to great results.
YU: Okay, that sounds good. That sounds good.
SW: And here’s another thing: Zelenskiy is coming to the White House on Friday.
YU: I know that. [chuckles]
SW: I’ll go to that meeting because they want me there, but I think if possible we’ll have a call with your boss before that Friday meeting.
YU: Before, before – right?
SW: That’s right.
YU: Okay, okay. I understand your advice. So I will discuss it with my boss and then get back to you, okay?
SW: Okay, Yuri, I’ll talk to you soon.
YU: Great, great. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.
SW: Bye, bye.
YU: Bye.
[End of call]
Ukraine’s position and further negotiations
on November 24, Advisor to the Head of the Presidential Office Oleksandr Bevz said that the 28-point plan no longer exists – after talks in Geneva between the US and Ukrainian delegations, a significant number of points were removed from the document.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to meet with Donald Trump on November 27, Thanksgiving Day, to finalize a joint US-Ukraine framework agreement on the conditions for ending the war.
