Witkoff advised Kremlin on how to present peace proposals on Ukraine to Trump – Bloomberg

That is according to a recording of the conversation between the two officials reviewed and transcribed by Bloomberg, Ukrinform reports.

In an October 14 phone call that lasted a little over five minutes, Witkoff advised Ushakov on how the Russian leader should broach the issue of peace proposals with Trump. His guidance included suggestions on setting up a Trump-Putin call before Volodymyr Zelensky's White House visit later that week and using the Gaza agreement as a way in.

"We put a 20-point Trump plan together that was 20 points for peace and I'm thinking maybe we do the same thing with you," Witkoff told Ushakov.

The conversation for the first time offers direct insight into Witkoff's recent tactics for negotiating with Russia and what appears to be the genesis of the 28-point peace proposal that emerged earlier this month - which the U.S. has pushed Ukraine to accept as the basis of a deal.

Putin said this month he believed the U.S. plan could be used as the basis for a peace settlement and added that that Moscow had received a copy of it.

Ushakov asked Witkoff whether it would be "useful" for Putin to call Trump. Witkoff said it would. He also recommended that Putin congratulate Trump for the Gaza peace deal. Ushakov appeared to take some of the advice on board. Putin "will congratulate" and will say "Mr Trump is a real peace man," he said.

Trump and Putin held their call two days later, at Russia's request, and the U.S. president described the two-and-a-half-hour-long conversation as "very productive." Afterward, he announced plans to meet with the Russian leader in Budapest, a summit that is yet to take place, and also mentioned that Putin had congratulated him on the Gaza deal.

Witkoff also met in the United States with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who had been discussing Russia's proposals to the peace plan with Ushakov. According to the report, Ushakov argued for asking for "the maximum" in their submissions to the White House.

"Me to you, I know what it's going to take to get a peace deal done," Witkoff said. "Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere. 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."

"The president will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal," he added. "So if we can create that opportunity that after this I talked to Yuri and we had a conversation I think that could lead to big stuff."

"Ok," Ushakov replied. "That sounds good."

It remains unclear what proposals Russia shared with the U.S. and the extent to which they shaped the final 28-point blueprint. Since then, however, Ukraine has come under severe pressure to accept the proposal that Witkoff drafted with the help of his Kremlin counterparts.

Under the terms first proposed by the U.S. earlier this month, Ukraine would have to withdraw troops from parts of the eastern Donbas region that Russia has failed to capture through military force. The area would become a neutral demilitarized buffer zone internationally recognized as Russian.

Moscow would also obtain de facto recognition of Russian claims to the regions of Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk. Most of the remainder of the front line, including in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, would be effectively frozen. Ukraine and its European allies have insisted that the war should cease along current lines.

On November 20, Zelensky said Ukraine had received U.S. proposals concerning a plan to end the war.

The following day, he stated that Ukraine was facing one of the toughest forms of pressure since the start of the full-scale invasion. According to him, the country may be forced into a difficult choice between "losing dignity" and risking the loss of a key partner — as well as between "a very difficult 28 points" and "an extremely hard winter."

On Sunday, November 23, representatives of Ukraine, European nations and the United States met in Geneva to discuss U.S. peace plan proposals and those put forward by Kyiv and European partners.

On Tuesday, Trump said the United States, Ukraine and Russia had moved closer to reaching an acceptable agreement to end the war, though he acknowledged that it was not easy.

He also stated that he would be ready to meet with Zelensky and Putin only once a final peace deal has been reached or negotiations are in their concluding phase.