The Russian negotiator, whose phone conversation with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was recently published, has claimed the Kremlin had nothing to do with the leak.
Yuri Ushakov, the senior Russian foreign policy adviser whom Witkoff allegedly coached on how to pitch a peace deal to President Donald Trump, speculated to Russian news on Wednesday that the communications breach was meant to damage negotiations.
“It is unlikely that this is being done to improve relations,” Ushakov said before clarifying he would not comment on the content of the leak.
“I speak with Witkoff quite often, but I do not comment on the substance of our conversations because they are confidential. No one should comment on them, actually,” he told the press.
Bloomberg leaked the phone call between Witkoff and Ushakov, which took place on Oct. 14. In the recording published Tuesday, Witkoff seemed to coach his Russian counterpart on how to speak to Trump in a way that would elicit a positive response.
“I would make the call and just reiterate that you congratulate the president on this achievement, that you supported it, you supported it, that you respect that he is a man of peace, and you’re just, you’re really glad to have seen it happen,” Witkoff said in the transcript published by Bloomberg. “So I would say that. I think from that, it’s going to be a really good call.”
Witkoff went on to suggest that Russia propose a “20-point peace proposal, just like [Trump] did in Gaza” and take a more upbeat tone with the president.
“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff said. “But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here. And I think, Yuri, the president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal.”
The source of the leaked call remains unknown.
Ushakov told Russian newspaper Kommersant that while many of his communications with Washington are conducted through secure government channels that no outside party would be able to penetrate, “there are certain conversations on WhatsApp that, generally speaking, someone might somehow be able to listen to.”
Critics of the administration have attempted to paint the interaction as unacceptable, claiming Witkoff’s coaching was unfairly beneficial to Russia’s negotiating position as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.
“For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) remarked that Witkoff is “supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.”
Trump and his team have dismissed such complaints, saying such conversations are a basic part of brokering peace.
“He’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s going to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a deal-maker does,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “You got to say, ‘Look, they want this, you got to convince them of this.’ I would imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine because each party has to give and take.”
Witkoff is set to visit Russia next week to meet directly with President Vladimir Putin, with whom he will discuss the peace deal personally.
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Ushakov said on Wednesday that he hopes other members of the U.S. government join Witkoff.
“We have agreed to meet with Mr. Witkoff. I hope he will not come alone, but will be accompanied by other representatives of the American team who are working on the Ukrainian dossier, and then we will begin discussions,” the foreign affairs adviser said.
