{"id":22199,"date":"2025-11-27T01:52:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T21:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=8006543211035421"},"modified":"2025-11-27T01:52:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T21:52:06","slug":"leaked-kremlin-call-steve-witkoff-advice-russia-us-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/leaked-kremlin-call-steve-witkoff-advice-russia-us-outrage\/","title":{"rendered":"Leaked Kremlin Call: Steve Witkoff\u2019s Secret Advice to Russia Sparks US Outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bloomberg published audio of US envoy Steve Witkoff advising top Kremlin officials on negotiation strategy with Trump.<\/li>\n<li>The leak has triggered bipartisan outrage, with lawmakers calling Witkoff a &#8216;traitor&#8217; and demanding his dismissal.<\/li>\n<li>Witkoff\u2019s proposal would require Ukraine to surrender Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea to Russia.<\/li>\n<li>Speculation surrounds the source of the leak, with US, Russian, Ukrainian, and European intelligence agencies all considered possible suspects.<\/li>\n<li>Trump defended Witkoff\u2019s actions as standard negotiation tactics, while others called for the leaker to be punished.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Witkoff\u2019s Kremlin Call: Leaked Audio Throws US Diplomacy Into Turmoil<\/h2>\n<h2>How Did Steve Witkoff\u2019s Advice to Moscow Leak\u2014and Who Stands to Benefit?<\/h2>\n<h2>Political Fallout: Lawmakers Demand Witkoff\u2019s Dismissal Amid Accusations of Betrayal<\/h2>\n<h2>Inside the Secret Negotiation Plan: What Did Witkoff Really Tell the Kremlin?<\/h2>\n<p>The quiet hum of diplomacy was shattered in late November 2025, when Bloomberg published a bombshell: audio recordings of Steve Witkoff, special US envoy to Ukraine, coaching senior Kremlin officials on how to navigate negotiations with Donald Trump. The story, sourced from intercepted phone calls between Witkoff and top Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, and a second call between Ushakov and Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, immediately set off alarms in Washington and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>According to Bloomberg\u2019s report\u2014published without byline or dateline, a move that only deepened the mystery\u2014the news outlet had \u201creviewed and transcribed audio\u201d of the calls but gave no clue as to how the recordings came to light or how their authenticity was verified. Ushakov himself, speaking to Russian media, partially confirmed the calls, dismissing some parts as \u201cfake\u201d but refusing to comment further, citing confidentiality. He cryptically acknowledged that some conversations took place over WhatsApp, hinting at the technical vulnerabilities that may have allowed outside parties to intercept the discussion.<\/p>\n<p>The leak\u2019s implications were immediate. Witkoff\u2019s remarks, captured on a 14 October call, revealed an extraordinary degree of candor: \u201cNow, me to you, I know what it\u2019s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,\u201d he told Ushakov. \u201cBut I\u2019m saying instead of talking like that, let\u2019s talk more hopefully because I think we\u2019re going to get to a deal here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Witkoff didn\u2019t just share his assessment of what it would take to end the war. He gave Ushakov tactical advice on how to approach Trump, suggesting the Kremlin schedule a Trump-Putin phone call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy\u2019s planned White House visit. Ushakov reportedly relayed that Putin would congratulate Trump and call him \u201ca real peace man\u201d\u2014a move apparently designed to win Trump\u2019s trust and shape the tone of future negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>For many in Washington, the revelations felt like confirmation of long-held suspicions about Witkoff\u2019s sympathies. Republican representatives Don Bacon and Brian Fitzpatrick swiftly called for Witkoff\u2019s dismissal. Bacon, in a scathing social media post, argued, \u201cWitkoff fully favors the Russians\u2026 He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.\u201d Fitzpatrick denounced the leak as \u201ca major problem\u201d and urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to \u201cdo his job in a fair and objective manner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democratic representative Ted Lieu went even further, labeling Witkoff \u201can actual traitor,\u201d and demanding accountability for what he described as a betrayal of American interests. Meanwhile, Trump himself defended Witkoff\u2019s approach, describing it as standard negotiation tactics and insisting that Witkoff was likely sharing similar advice with Ukraine. \u201cThat\u2019s what a dealmaker does,\u201d Trump told reporters. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to say look, they want this, you\u2019ve got to convince them of this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The controversy wasn\u2019t limited to the content of the calls\u2014it extended to the very fact of their leak. The recording\u2019s provenance became the subject of fevered speculation among intelligence experts and former officials. Daniel Hoffman, ex-CIA Moscow station chief, suggested the leak might have originated from someone within Russian circles seeking to undermine Witkoff\u2019s reputation. However, others doubted Moscow would compromise Ushakov, a key Putin aide, or Witkoff, Russia\u2019s most sympathetic contact in the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine emerged as another possible suspect, given its discomfort with Witkoff\u2019s involvement in negotiations and its incentive to expose the depth of collaboration between the White House and the Kremlin. Still, experts cautioned that the risks of such a move\u2014potentially jeopardizing vital US support\u2014would likely outweigh the benefits, and that monitoring encrypted WhatsApp calls outside Ukrainian territory would require exceptional technical skill.<\/p>\n<p>Most intelligence veterans, however, pointed the finger at the US itself. A senior former official noted that, while various agencies have the means to intercept calls\u2014including signals intelligence, cyberattacks, and device access\u2014the CIA and NSA were the most likely candidates. \u201cThere are many people inside US intelligence agencies unhappy with the current administration and its policies on Ukraine and Russia, but leaking audio of the call would be a difficult and potentially extremely dangerous move for any disgruntled employee,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n<p>The fact that Bloomberg obtained the raw audio, rather than just a transcript, suggests the leaker had direct access to intelligence collection or was senior enough to obtain unfiltered material. Others posited that a European intelligence service, alarmed by Witkoff\u2019s pro-Russian stance, might have orchestrated the leak.<\/p>\n<p>Why leak now? The decision to publicize such sensitive intelligence could force Ushakov and others to alter their communication habits, potentially shutting down a valuable window for ongoing surveillance. \u201cIt\u2019s completely unsurprising that any number of agencies might have got hold of this recording, but it\u2019s extremely surprising that someone would leak it,\u201d noted one former official, underscoring the risk and rarity of such disclosures.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the intrigue of the leak itself, the substance of Witkoff\u2019s advice was deeply consequential. The leaked negotiation plan, a controversial 28-point proposal, would compel Ukraine to surrender the entire Donetsk region, creating a demilitarized buffer zone internationally recognized as Russian territory. Russia would also gain control of Luhansk and Crimea, with battle lines frozen in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Notably, Russia has yet to fully capture Donetsk, despite nearly four years of war.<\/p>\n<p>Putin has signaled that the US plan could serve as a basis for a final settlement, though the Kremlin claims it hasn\u2019t discussed details with Washington. As the fallout unfolded, Trump announced Witkoff\u2019s upcoming trip to Moscow to meet Putin, while US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would engage with Ukrainian officials\u2014a flurry of diplomacy ahead of a possible Trump-Zelenskyy meeting.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Richard Grenell, Trump\u2019s special missions envoy, argued that the leaker\u2014rather than Witkoff\u2014should face consequences. \u201cFind the leaker and fire them immediately. No excuses. The anonymous leaker is a national security risk,\u201d he posted online.<\/p>\n<p>The Witkoff-Kremlin call leak leaves more questions than answers: Who leaked it, and why? How will the scandal affect ongoing negotiations\u2014and what does it say about the vulnerabilities of modern diplomacy, where a single phone call can upend international strategy?<\/p>\n<p><em>Based on the facts, the Witkoff leak exposes not just the personal loyalties of a key US envoy, but the fragile architecture of international trust and intelligence. The episode is a stark reminder that, in an era of ubiquitous surveillance and political division, secrets rarely stay secret\u2014and the consequences of their exposure can reverberate across borders, alliances, and the prospects for peace itself.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A leaked recording reveals US envoy Steve Witkoff advising Kremlin officials on how to win Donald Trump\u2019s favor, igniting political uproar and raising serious questions about loyalties, intelligence leaks, and the future of US-Russia-Ukraine negotiations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[32844,32845,381,10049,843,87,351],"class_list":["post-22199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-kremlin","tag-leaked-call","tag-russia","tag-steve-witkoff","tag-trump","tag-ukraine","tag-us-diplomacy"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Steve-Witkoff.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/am\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Steve-Witkoff.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22199\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}