Donald Trump has defended his special envoy Steve Witkoff as doing the 'standard thing' after a leaked recording appeared to show him advising a Russian official on how to appeal to the US president.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he had not heard the audio, but insisted that Witkoff was merely doing 'what a dealmaker does' to 'sell' a US-authored peace plan to both Russia and Ukraine.
The leaked call from last month emerged just days after the 28-point draft peace plan was presented by the US, which largely reflected Russian positions on ending its ongoing war in Ukraine.
Witkoff has visited Moscow multiple times this year and has a meeting scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
Notably, he has never traveled to Kyiv in this role, although other US officials have made similar visits recently. Trump mentioned he plans to hold further discussions with Ukrainian officials.
Diplomatic efforts are ongoing after the draft plan faced backlash from Ukrainian and European leaders for being overly accommodating to Russia. Key proposals included ceding territory currently held by Kyiv.
In response to criticism, the peace plan has been revised to more closely align with Ukraine's interests and the perspectives of its European allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his willingness to meet with Trump to discuss the sensitive aspects of the negotiations.
The leaked audio, which was reported by Bloomberg, featured Witkoff advising Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov on how to improve relations with Trump, suggesting that Ushakov congratulate Trump on specific achievements and emphasize shared interests in peace. Witkoff is mentioned in the conversation as proposing a 20-point peace proposal akin to ones used in previous negotiations.
The fallout from the leaked call included an extensive phone conversation between Trump and Putin, emerging against Zelensky's visit to Washington. Following the conversation, Trump appeared more receptive to diplomatic solutions with Putin, shifting from earlier threats to increase military support to Ukraine during a critical period.
Yuri Ushakov responded to the leak by suggesting it might have been intended to hinder diplomacy, confirming Witkoff's upcoming visit to Moscow under previous agreements.
Overall, this incident underscores the complexity of negotiations surrounding the Ukraine conflict, the sensitive dynamics of international diplomacy, and how leaked communications can impact ongoing discussions.
