Russia and Putin · Second term · № 123
Called it 'a standard thing' when his envoy was recorded coaching a Putin aide on how to win him over
“Well, I haven't heard it. No. But I—that's a standard thing, you know, because he's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what he's—that's what a dealmaker does.”
- Said
- , Aboard Air Force One en route to West Palm Beach, Florida
- Subject
- Witkoff-Ushakov call
- Type
- Ukraine
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Bloomberg published a transcript of an October 14, 2025 call in which envoy Steve Witkoff advised Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov to have Putin congratulate Trump on the Gaza deal, call him 'a man of peace,' and phone him before Zelensky's White House visit; Witkoff also said a deal would take 'Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere' and suggested a 20-point plan modeled on Gaza. Ushakov did not dispute the call's authenticity, and a second transcript had Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev saying Russia would 'make this paper from our position' and pass it along informally. The Putin call that followed on October 16 preceded Trump's reversal on Tomahawks. Asked about the recording, Trump said it was 'a very standard form of negotiation' and that Witkoff was 'not' too pro-Russian. The same day he described Russia's 'big concession' as 'they stop fighting and they don't take any more land,' and sent Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Moscow, where they met Putin for about five hours on December 2; Ushakov said afterward there was 'no compromise' on territory.
Sources
- Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Aboard Air Force One En Route to West Palm Beach, Florida
- Trump defends Witkoff after leak appears to show envoy coaching Russians
- Trump envoy Witkoff reportedly advised Kremlin official on Ukraine peace deal
- Truth Social Posts of November 25, 2025
- Remarks on Fuel Efficiency Standards and an Exchange With Reporters