The leak of Steve Witkoff’s phone conversation with the Kremlin has damaged trust between the United States and its allies.
The peace proposal that could end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II is being finely tuned, according to President Donald Trump.
However, the peace deal needs to overcome a serious scandal after phone conversations between one of Trump’s closest aides and the Kremlin were leaked to the press.
Witkoff’s Russian Phone Leak Scandal
Steve Witkoff, one of Trump’s special envoys to Russia, reportedly spoke last month with Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, about working on a Ukraine peace deal.
Witkoff allegedly advised the Kremlin how to approach Trump and what to say, something that opened the door for the United States to adopt the initial 28-point peace plan that was largely drafted by Russia.
Moreover, the leaked phone records suggest that Witkoff advised the Kremlin on how to block the transfer of Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles to the Ukrainian military that was on the table.
The leak of Witkoff’s phone conversation will certainly damage trust between the United States and other NATO countries, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
An Ongoing Peace Process in Ukraine
The peace process among Ukraine, NATO, the European Union, and the United States continues to move forward. The initial 28-point plan that adopted many of Russia’s positions no longer controls the conversations as Ukraine is moving closer to a deal.
“Over the past week, my team has made tremendous progress with respect to ending the War between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump said on the Truth Social platform on Tuesday.
“The original 28-Point Peace Plan, which was drafted by the United States, has been fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides, and there are only a few remaining points of disagreement,” the president added.
Meanwhile, Trump’s demand that Kyiv agree to and sign a peace deal by Thanksgiving seems to be fading away, giving Ukraine and the Europeans more time to hammer out important details.
Indeed, it seems that Trump is taking a step back from direct negotiations between the participants. The Ukrainians were trying to meet with Trump before Thanksgiving. But a meeting has not taken place.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter, and let’s all hope that PEACE can be accomplished AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!” the US president concluded.
Trump has empowered his envoys to negotiate some of the most important details of a potential peace plan. Witkoff will meet with the Russian leader in Moscow, and, at the same time, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will be meeting with the Ukrainian delegation.
Driscoll has assumed a leading role as a lead negotiator, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
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