A secret recording obtained by Bloomberg reveals that U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff privately coached a top Kremlin official on how to manipulate President Donald Trump into a peace deal for Ukraine, explicitly modeling the strategy on the recent Gaza ceasefire agreement. The leaked call, which took place in mid-October, exposes the transactional “business deal” mechanics behind the administration’s foreign policy, confirming that Washington and Moscow were coordinating a framework before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky even arrived at the White House.
According to the Bloomberg report, Witkoff spoke with Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, offering tactical advice on how to lock in a deal. Witkoff reportedly instructed Ushakov to have Putin call President Trump directly before Zelensky’s scheduled visit. His advice for the Russian leader was specific: praise the Gaza ceasefire deal that Trump had recently championed and stroke the President’s ego by framing him as a “man of peace.”
“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done,” Witkoff reportedly told Ushakov. He explicitly suggested replicating the structure of the Gaza negotiations, stating, “We put a 20-point Trump plan together [for Gaza]… and I’m thinking maybe we do the same thing with you.” This “20-point” framework appears to be the genesis of the controversial “28-point plan” that was later presented to Kyiv as a fait accompli.
The revelation underscores the Trump administration’s doctrine of pre-negotiation: aligning with the opposing superpower first to create an unstoppable momentum, effectively forcing the smaller ally—in this case, Ukraine—to accept terms already agreed upon by the “principals.” Witkoff’s strategy treated the war’s resolution as a real estate transaction, where the terms are settled in the backroom before the public signing.
While the approach has drawn ire from foreign policy hawks who view it as a betrayal of diplomatic norms, supporters argue it prioritizes results over protocol. The leak confirms that the “Russian-leaning” nature of the initial proposal was not accidental but a calculated move to ensure Putin’s buy-in before pressure was applied to Zelensky.
Footage Charlie Kirk has been shot
Charlie Kirk has been shot
