A top Vladimir Putin aide has blasted what he insisted was a partially “fake” leaked transcript of his reported call with Donald Trump’s envoy about a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire.
Details of the Oct. 14 conversation between senior Kremlin diplomat Yuri Ushakov and Trump’s special envoy for peace missions, property developer Steve Witkoff, were published by Bloomberg.
The transcript appeared to show Witkoff advising Putin’s foreign-policy aide on how to win over the American president, 79, including using Trump’s Gaza ceasefire as an ice-breaker before pitching a ceasefire plan for Ukraine.
After Witkoff’s apparent comments sparked public and political fury, Ushakov, 78, told reporters Wednesday that the disclosure was “of course unacceptable.”
In separate news reports, Ushakov and another Putin ally, Kirill Dmitriev, claimed that parts of the transcript were “fake.”
Ushakov added that he would speak directly to Witkoff, 68, about releasing their conversation, Reuters said. “We will exchange opinions by phone,” Ushakov was quoted as saying, having earlier suggested it had been leaked with the intention of hindering talks.
Over the past 24 hours, since the leak, Witkoff’s apparent coaching session with Ushakov has caused widespread anger, not calmed by Trump’s wild defense that such flattery during international negotiations was commonplace.
Kremlin figures expected the U.S. plan to closely resemble Moscow’s draft—an allegation the White House denies.
Ushakov insisted Moscow would still host Witkoff next week and that the envoy could “definitely” meet the Russian president, 73, despite the furor, reported ABC News. The Kremlin diplomat also argued that no one had sat down to go “point-by-point” through the proposal yet.
Until now, Washington’s back-channel effort has run alongside U.S.-brokered sessions in Abu Dhabi, even as Russian strikes killed civilians and smashed power infrastructure.
European leaders have warned against any deal that green-lights land grabs, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen cautioning against the “unilateral carving up” of a sovereign nation and pushing to tap frozen Russian assets for reconstruction.
Kyiv’s position remains that any settlement must restore territorial integrity and security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signaled he’ll discuss elements of the U.S. proposal directly with Trump, while urging allies to keep air defenses and funding flowing amid renewed barrages.
But the leak has injected mistrust into an already fraught situation, leaving Witkoff’s planned Moscow visit and any ceasefire choreography under an even greater spotlight.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
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