Trump: US envoy must 'sell Ukraine to Russia' in peace talks
US President Donald Trump said he had not heard an audio recording published by Bloomberg of US special envoy Steve Witkoff explaining to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov how to address the US leader, but called such actions a normal part of the negotiation process.
"Well, I haven't. No, but it's a standard thing, you know, because he has to sell it to Ukraine. He has to sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what he... that's what he does. That's what he does, that's what a deal maker does," Trump said, answering questions from reporters aboard Air Force One.
He added that such an approach is "standard form of negotiation" and, according to him, Witkoff "says the same thing to Ukraine" because "each side has to give something in return."
As reported, on the night of November 26, Bloomberg published a transcript of a purported conversation last month between US Special Representative Steve Witkoff and Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov about the possibility of preparing a peace plan for Ukraine and giving advice on how Putin should negotiate with US President Donald Trump.
Witkoff purportedly suggested to Ushakov that he consider arranging a call between Trump and Putin before a scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House: "Zelenskyy is coming to the White House on Friday (October 17 - IF-U), I will be there because they want me to be there, but I think, if possible, we will have a call with your boss before this Friday meeting."
After the talks with Ushakov, Witkoff met with Putin's special representative Kirill Dmitriev in Miami. They discussed Moscow's position on the peace proposal and agreed on how tough Russia should defend its demands. Later, on October 29, Dmitriev and Ushakov had a telephone conversation in which they discussed the risks of misunderstanding on the part of the United States and possible compromises that would allow moving towards an agreement.
Dmitriev expressed confidence that even if the American side does not fully accept Russia's version, it can agree to something close to it, and he personally will follow the Kremlin's instructions: "No, look, it seems to me, here is this paper, we will just do it as if in our position and I will simply informally directly convey that all this is informal. And let them do it as theirs, but I think that they will not take our version exactly, but at least as close to it as possible."
"Peace keeps moving forward despite the desperate attempts of warmongers and the war lobby to sabotage it. Their fear media campaigns are loud, but the will of people who choose peace is stronger," Dmitriev said on X.
