US President Donald Trump has defended special envoy Steve Witkoff as doing the 'standard thing' after a leaked recording appeared to show him advising a Russian official on how to appeal to the president.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday he had not heard the audio, but that Witkoff was doing 'what a dealmaker does' to 'sell' the peace plan to both Russia and Ukraine.
The leaked call from last month emerged after days after a 28-point draft peace plan presented by the US largely reflected Russian positions on its full-scale war in Ukraine.
Witkoff has visited Moscow several times this year and will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin again next week. He has not held talks in Kyiv.
He has never gone to Kyiv in his role as special envoy, although other US officials have visited, and US army secretary Dan Driscoll went to Kyiv this week and Trump says he will hold further talks with the Ukrainians.
Diplomatic talks have continued after the initial draft plan was criticized by Ukrainian and European leaders as being too favorable to Russia. Among the proposals was a handover to Russia of Ukrainian-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.
The plan has since been revised to better reflect Ukraine's interests, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed willingness to meet Trump to discuss sensitive points.
In the leaked audio recording, Witkoff appeared to advise Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, on how to get on Trump's good side. Witkoff suggested ways to express respect for Trump and emphasized a need for negotiations to resolve the war, stating 'just reiterate that you congratulate the president [Trump] on this achievement.'
Witkoff is also quoted as saying he believes 'the Russian Federation has always wanted a peace deal.' After the exchange, a phone call between Trump and Putin took place, signifying a shift in diplomatic communications.
Despite Witkoff's strategy being labeled as controversial, Trump's stance reaffirms a commitment to exploring negotiations that capture both US and Russian interests in the ongoing conflict.
