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A handful of US representatives have reacted furiously to a leaked recording in which the special envoy to Ukraine reportedly coached Moscow on how to handle Donald Trump, but most have so far remained mute on the revelation that American officials were advising a US adversary.
Don Bacon, a Republican representative, called for Steve Witkoff’s immediate dismissal. “For those who oppose the Russian invasion and want to see Ukraine prevail as a sovereign & democratic country, it is clear that Witkoff fully favors the Russians,” the Nebraska lawmaker wrote on X.
“He cannot be trusted to lead these negotiations. Would a Russian paid agent do less than he? He should be fired.”
Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican wrote that the leak represented “a major problem” and “one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop”. He urged that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, be allowed to “do his job in a fair and objective manner”.
Democratic representative Ted Lieu went further, calling Witkoff an “actual traitor,” and adding: “Steve Witkoff is supposed to work for the United States, not Russia.”
In a recording obtained by Bloomberg of a 14 October phone call between Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Witkoff said peace would require Moscow gaining control of Donetsk and potentially additional Ukrainian territory.
“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff said, according to Bloomberg’s transcript. “But I’m saying instead of talking like that, let’s talk more hopefully because I think we’re going to get to a deal here.”
Witkoff also gave Ushakov tactical advice, including how the Russian leader should approach the issue with Trump. It included suggestions about scheduling a Trump-Putin phone call before the planned visit of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the White House.
On Wednesday, Ushakov appeared to confirm the call’s authenticity to Russian state television, suggesting the leak was meant to “hinder” negotiations. During the conversation, Ushakov said Putin would congratulate Trump and call him “a real peace man”.
Trump defended Witkoff on Tuesday night. “That’s what a dealmaker does. You’ve got to say look, they want this, you’ve got to convince them of this,” Trump said while onboard Air Force One. “That’s a very standard form of negotiation.” He added that he imagined Witkoff “is saying the same thing to Ukraine”.
The president’s special missions envoy, Richard Grenell, meanwhile, called for the leaker to be fired, not Witkoff. “Find the leaker and fire them immediately. No excuses. The anonymous leaker is a national security risk,” he wrote in a social media post.
The controversial, 28-point proposal would force Ukraine to surrender the entire Donetsk region, including areas currently under Ukrainian control. These territories would become a demilitarized buffer zone recognized internationally as Russian territory.
The plan would also grant Russia control of Luhansk and Crimea while freezing battle lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Russia has not fully captured Donetsk despite nearly four years of war.
Putin said earlier this month that the US plan could form the basis for a final settlement, though the Kremlin claims it has not discussed details with Washington.
Trump announced earlier on Tuesday he is sending Witkoff to Moscow to meet Putin and the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, to meet Ukrainian officials, ahead of a possible Trump-Zelenskyy meeting on Friday.
