Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told a senior Kremlin official that peace in Ukraine would likely depend on Russia gaining control of Donetsk and possibly another territorial exchange, according to an audio recording obtained by Bloomberg.
The recording, dated 14 October, captures Witkoff speaking with Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the five-minute conversation, Witkoff discussed potential land concessions while advising Ushakov to congratulate Trump and frame ongoing talks “more optimistically”.
“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 reportedly said. “But instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here.”
He also suggested tactical steps for Putin, including scheduling a call with Trump before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s planned White House visit.
Ushakov appeared to confirm the authenticity of the leak on Russian state TV, saying it was likely intended to “hinder” peace talks. He added that preliminary plans were in place for Witkoff to visit Moscow this week.
The White House did not dispute the recording’s accuracy. Trump, asked about Witkoff’s remarks while travelling on Air Force One, described the envoy’s comments as “standard negotiating”. “He’s got to sell this to Ukraine, he’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does,” Trump said.
The leaked conversation appears to shed light on the origins of a controversial 28-point peace plan circulated earlier in November, which would require Ukraine to cede the entire Donetsk region, as well as recognising Russian control over Crimea and Luhansk. The plan also proposes demilitarised zones in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Putin has publicly called the US plan a potential “basis for a final peaceful settlement”, though the Kremlin insists it has not been formally discussed with Washington.
Witkoff, a Florida-based property developer and long-time Trump ally, was instrumental in brokering the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement and has since been tasked with spearheading back-channel diplomacy on Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Trump announced he was sending Witkoff to Moscow for follow-up talks with Putin, and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to Kyiv for consultations with Ukrainian officials. “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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Ukraine has rejected any settlement involving territorial concessions, insisting it will not accept limits on its sovereignty or military capabilities.