'Donetsk and maybe a land swap' — Witkoff promised Russian aides he could sway Trump, pressure Ukraine into peace deal in secret phone recording
In a recorded Oct. 14 phone call between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Witkoff told Russian officials he could pressure Ukraine — and U.S. President Donald Trump — into accepting a Moscow-friendly peace deal, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 25.
"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. 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. And I think Yuri, (Trump) will give me a lot of space and discretion to get to the deal," Witkoff said.
On Nov. 18, Axios reported that the White House and Moscow have been secretly working on a proposal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, citing U.S. and Russian officials.
Following the initial media reports, U.S. officials have held talks with Ukrainian and Russian delegations in recent days as Washington intensifies efforts to broker a peace deal.
The Oct. 14 call between Witkoff and the Russian officials took place days before President Volodymyr Zelensky's most recent visit to Washington. While the president hoped to sway Trump to greenlight U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine, an unexpected call from Russian President Vladimir Putin changed the agenda.
The recording obtained by Bloomberg suggests that Witkoff played a role in orchestrating that sequence of events.
"Zelensky is coming to the White House on Friday," Witkoff reportedly told Ushakov. "I will go to that meeting because they want me there, but I think if possible, we have the call with your boss before that Friday meeting."
In a separate phone call recorded Oct. 29 and obtained by Bloomberg, Ushakov called Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss peace talks. The Russian side's commitment to maximalist demands is evident in their conversation:
"Well, we need the maximum, don't you think? What do you think? Otherwise, what's the point of passing anything on?" Ushakov said.
"No, look. I think we'll just make this paper from our position, and I'll informally pass it along, making it clear that it’s all informal," Dmitriev said in response. "I don't think they'll take exactly our version, but at least it'll be as close to it as possible."
Russia has repeatedly shown an unwillingness to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine and has refused previous ceasefire proposals.
The Kremlin has issued maximalist demands toward Ukraine as a starting point for any ceasefire or peace deal, many of which were reflected in the initial 28-point peace plan.
Moscow has demanded recognition of the occupied territories as Russian, Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations, and limits on the size of Ukraine's military.
"They might twist it later, that's all. There is that risk. There is. Well, alright, never mind. We'll see," Ushakov said.
Dmitriev later seemingly denied that the recorded phone call took place in a post to X, saying that the reporting is "fake."
On Nov. 25, Trump said he is ready to meet Zelensky and Putin, but only when a peace plan is finalized or nearly complete.
On Nov. 24, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll traveled to Abu Dhabi for negotiations with Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov and a Russian delegation, Driscoll's spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Tolbert, confirmed to Axios.
The talks in Abu Dhabi follow negotiations among U.S., Ukrainian, and European representatives in Geneva, Switzerland.
