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Steve Witkoff under fire for phone calls to the Kremlin

Trump’s special envoy is at the centre of controversy after calls with Putin’s adviser became public, sparking criticism in the United States

Steve Witkoff has found himself at the centre of a political controversy after some phone calls with the Kremlin became public. The conversations, dating back to October, saw the New York real estate mogul and Donald Trump’s special envoy discussing a plan relating to Ukraine with Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser.

Donald Trump defended Witkoff, calling the talks “standard negotiations” and emphasising his collaborator’s role as a dealmaker. Witkoff’s words sparked criticism from Republican MPs who called for his resignation, accusing him of treason.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that the calls for resignation ‘derail the fragile process for a political solution’ and that there is nothing alarming in the content of the phone calls. Peskov also reiterated that talks on the conflict in Ukraine are continuing and are ‘serious’, despite the difficulties caused by those seeking to obstruct them.

The transcripts of the phone calls, published by Bloomberg, also include a second call between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev in late October. It is unclear who leaked the full audio recordings, but speculation points to the CIA, NSA or other US intelligence agencies, while Russian sources indicate a possible rift between ‘hawks’ and diplomats more open to negotiation.

According to intelligence experts, several methods of interception could have allowed the audio files to leak, but the fact that Bloomberg received the full audio suggests a high-level source. The leak had immediate consequences: Ushakov deleted his device and the Kremlin confirmed the authenticity of the main content.

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