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U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the leaked phone conversation involving his friend and special envoy, Steve Witkoff, which Bloomberg reported as part of ongoing U.S.–Russia discussions on a possible Ukraine peace deal.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked whether he had listened to the audio in which Witkoff appears to advise Russian officials on how to communicate with the U.S. president to gain support. “I haven’t heard it. But that’s a standard thing,” Trump said. “You understand, he has to ‘sell’ it to Ukraine, he has to ‘sell’ Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does.” He added that similar conversations could have taken place with the Ukrainian side, as “each side has something to give and something to get.”
Asked whether he considered Witkoff to be pro-Russian, Trump rejected the suggestion.
“This war could go on for years, and Russia has far more people. So if Ukraine can make a deal, that’s good. I think it’s good for both,” he said.
Bloomberg earlier published a transcript of Witkoff’s call with Kremlin foreign-policy aide Yuri Ushakov, in which the U.S. representative appeared to offer advice on how Moscow should frame its proposals for Trump. Additional leaked audio purports to show Ushakov discussing the transfer of a Russia-drafted plan with Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, to be presented to Washington as its own. Dmitriev has called the transcript a “fake.”
