A secretly recorded phone conversation has provided a startling insight into the private diplomatic manoeuvres surrounding the Ukraine conflict, revealing that Donald Trump's special envoy suggested significant territorial concessions to Russia.
The Secret October Call
According to a transcript obtained by Bloomberg, Steve Witkoff, acting as Mr Trump's envoy, told Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a phone call on 14 October that achieving peace would require Ukraine to cede control of the Donetsk region.
"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 stated during the five-minute conversation. He simultaneously advised Ushakov to publicly frame discussions more optimistically and to congratulate Trump on his election victory.
Origins of a Controversial Peace Plan
This call appears to reveal the origins of the heavily criticised 28-point peace proposal that emerged earlier in November. The recording indicates that Witkoff, who recently helped broker the Gaza ceasefire, suggested that Moscow and Washington develop a joint peace framework modelled on that agreement.
"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," he told the Kremlin official.
The envoy also offered tactical advice on how President Putin should approach the subject with Trump, including scheduling a call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's planned White House visit later that week. Ushakov appeared receptive, noting that Putin "will congratulate" and say: "Mr Trump is a real peace man."
Implications and International Reaction
The proposed peace deal would have profound consequences for Ukraine. The 28-point framework would require Ukraine to cede the entire Donetsk region to Russia, including areas not currently under Russian control. These territories would become a demilitarised buffer zone internationally recognised as Russian.
Furthermore, the plan would grant Russia control of Luhansk and Crimea while freezing current battle lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. This comes despite Russia not having fully captured Donetsk.
While President Putin has stated he believes the US plan could serve as the "basis for a final peaceful settlement", the Kremlin maintains it has not discussed the proposal in detail with Washington.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have insisted they will not recognise Russian control of occupied territories or accept limits on their military forces, setting the stage for a major diplomatic confrontation.
The revelations emerge as Trump announced on Tuesday that he is sending Witkoff to meet with Putin in Moscow and US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with Ukrainian officials. This precedes a potential White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy on Friday.
In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: "I look forward to hopefully meeting with President Zelenskyy and President Putin soon, but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages."
Notably, the Witkoff-Ushakov call occurred on the same day Trump publicly expressed frustration with Putin's unwillingness to end the war, stating: "I don't know why he continues with this war. He just doesn't want to end that war. And I think it's making him look very bad."
