Witkoff advances Kremlin’s interests; key peace plan points remain unresolved

Senior Russian officials orchestrated a diplomatic maneuver persuading Witkoff to present a list of the Kremlin’s demands as a U.S.-backed peace plan to end the Russo–Ukrainian war. Bloomberg cites atranscript of an Oct. 29 phone call between Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev. The two officials discussed a scheme to present a list of its own capitulation demands as if it originated in the U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Witkoff personally advised Ushakov on how Putin should engage with Trump to make the United States take a more pro-Russian foreign policy stance. In an Oct. 14 phone call, Witkoff, speaking to Ushakov, floated a joint “20-point” peace framework modeled on a recent Gaza ceasefire agreement. He urged Ushakov to encourage Putin to raise the idea directly with Trump. Additionally, the U.S. envoy suggested Putin should call Trump before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the White House on Oct. 17.

Kyiv, Washington, and European capitals have made considerable progress in amending the initial, heavily pro-Russian draft of the U.S.-backed peace plan, into something that could be acceptable to both Ukraine and its European partners. However, Ukraine still refuses to accept three key provisions: ceding additional territory to Russia, limiting the size of the Ukrainian military, and abandoning NATO membership aspirations.