According to Bloomberg, which referred to the audio recording of the 5-minute conversation on October 14 and published the transcript, Witkoff advised Ushakov, among other things, that Putin call Trump before his meeting with the president of Ukraine on October 18.
“Zelensky will come to the White House on Friday,” Witkoff said. “I'll go because they want me there, but I think if possible, let's arrange a conversation with your boss before this Friday's meeting,” he added.
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Who participated in the conversation mentioned in the article?
When did Witkoff's meeting with Ushakov take place?
What peace plans were discussed in the conversation?
What did Witkoff advise regarding Putin's contact with Trump?
The conversation took place against the background of Trump's intensifying rhetoric towards Putin, when the American president threatened to send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. Ultimately after talking to Putin and before meeting with Zelensky, Trump abandoned this planannouncing a meeting with Putin in Budapest, which was ultimately canceled.
Witkoff allegedly said he had deep respect for Putin and that he believes Russia has always wanted a peace deal. He advised Ushakov that Putin should congratulate Trump on reaching peace in the Gaza Strippraised him as a “man of peace”, and proposed that a similar plan be used in the case of Ukraine. Ushakov agreed with some of the advice.
— We submitted Trump's 20-point plan for peace (in the Gaza Strip-PAP) and I think maybe we will do the same with you, Trump's envoy told Putin's adviser. —Between you and me, I know what it takes to reach a peace agreement. Donetsk and maybe an exchange of territories somewhere. But I say that instead of saying that, let's talk with more hope, because I think that we will reach an agreement, he added.
Witkoff noted that Trump gave him plenty of space to make a deal.
“Here's what I think would be amazing,” he said. — Maybe he (Putin) will tell President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan peaceful and this could be something that we think could move things a bit, we are open to such things, he added. Ushakov replied that “that sounds good.”
After the fiasco of the Budapest summit, Witkoff received another Putin envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, in Miami, along with whom, according to reports, among others, Axios was then supposed to develop the 28-point peace plan presented last week. After his return, Dmitriev was to have a conversation with Ushakov, a Bloomberg's text shows that the agency also obtained a recording of this conversation conducted in Russian.
Putin's advisers were to discuss how hard Moscow should press its demands. Ushakov was said to be in favor of the “maximum”.
“(Ushakov) told his friend that fears that the United States may misinterpret the proposals and remove something from themand then claim that an agreement has been reached, which would threaten to end the negotiations,” Bloomberg reported.
Dmitriev, however, advised the informal release of Russia's peace proposal and said he was confident that even if the United States did not fully accept it, “at least it would do something very close to it.” He also allegedly assured Ushakov that he would stick to what he was told and that Ushakov would be able to discuss the document with “Steve” later.
