Overview
- Bloomberg-published transcripts describe October calls in which Trump envoy Steve Whitkoff advised Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on framing and timing a proposal, including contact before Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit.
- Kirill Dmitriev, quoted discussing a U.S. plan being shaped closely to a Russian draft, publicly denied the transcript as fake, while Ushakov said he does not know the source of the leak and suggested others are listening.
- President Donald Trump called the reported tactics standard negotiating practice, defended Whitkoff, and said Whitkoff may meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cautioned against overstating prospects for a deal, said many actors are trying to block a move toward peace, and noted that contacts with Washington are ongoing with Whitkoff’s timing to be clarified.
- The contested 28‑point U.S. proposal, reported to include provisions viewed as favorable to Russia, is being revised in consultations with Ukraine and European partners after recent Geneva talks and circulating draft changes.