Trump envoy Witkoff reportedly advised Kremlin official on Ukraine peace deal

Steve Witkoff spoke to Yuri Ushakov on territorial control and suggested congratulating Donald Trump and framing talks more optimistically, audio recording suggests

President Donald Trump leans in to hear a question as he speaks with reporters while in flight on Air Force One from Joint Base Andrews to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Donald Trump’sspecial envoy Steve Witkoff told a senior Kremlin official last month that achieving peace in Ukraine would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk and potentially a separate territorial exchange, according to a recording of their conversation obtained by Bloomberg.

In the October 14 phone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Witkoff said he believed the land concessions were necessary, all while advising Mr Ushakov to congratulate Mr Trump and frame discussions more optimistically.