Putin's aide Ushakov reacts to Bloomberg report on leaked call with Trump's envoy

Speaking to a Russian state media interviewer, Ushakov said he "often speaks" with Witkoff and suggested the publication aimed to hinder improving U.S.-Russia relations.

He dodged questions about whether the call transcript was fabricated.

"The substance of the conversations is confidential; I won't comment," Ushakov said. "No one should comment."

Asked where journalists got the information, Ushakov replied: "Someone's leaking, someone's eavesdropping — but not us."

Putin's aide also said Witkoff is preliminarily scheduled to arrive in Moscow next week.

Bloomberg earlier published two transcripts of Russian officials' conversations. The first detailed a call between Witkoff and Ushakov on Oct. 14.

According to the transcript, Witkoff advised Ushakov on the best time for Putin to call Trump ahead of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Washington visit. They also coordinated how Moscow could "float" a peace plan idea to Trump with about 20 points.

Trump's envoy suggested Putin congratulate Trump on a Gaza peace deal and call him a "man of peace."

The second transcript captured a conversation between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, director of Russia's Direct Investment Fund, on ways to present a Russian draft agreement to Trump's team as a U.S. initiative. Dmitriev has called the Bloomberg material a "fake."