Kremlin claims leaked US call aims to derail fragile Ukraine peace negotiations

KREMLIN, RUSSIA: The Kremlin on Wednesday, November 26, accused unknown actors of trying to derail delicate peace talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, after transcripts of a phone call between senior US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian Presidential Adviser Yuri Ushakov appeared in the media. 

The leaked conversation, first published by Bloomberg, showed Witkoff advising Moscow on how to frame its appeals to President Donald Trump, adding new uncertainty to the already fragile negotiations.

Ushakov said the leak appeared designed to disrupt ongoing discussions and stressed it was “premature” to suggest that a peace agreement was close.

"It is unlikely this is done to improve relations,” he said, adding that “someone is leaking, someone is listening, but not us."

Trump brushes off leak as ‘standard negotiating’

The Kremlin adviser said that he would raise the matter directly with Witkoff during their next call, though he maintained that the two speak regularly and privately. “Some of these leaks are fake,” Ushakov added, calling the publication of confidential diplomacy “unacceptable.”

President Donald Trump, whose envoy Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week, dismissed the controversy surrounding the call. Trump said that his peace plan had been “fine-tuned” and no longer carried any deadline, despite earlier pressure on Kyiv to endorse a proposal by Thanksgiving.

Describing Witkoff’s reported approach as “a very standard form of negotiation” and “what a dealmaker does,” Trump played down the episode.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung echoed the president, saying on X that the “supposed” transcript showed “what a successful negotiator does in order to get a deal done.”

Trump said his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, may join Witkoff on the Moscow trip, and confirmed that Army Secretary Dan Driscoll would meet Ukrainian officials separately as negotiators continue to refine the peace framework.

Leaked calls raise questions over peace plan’s tilt toward Moscow

The Bloomberg report also contained a transcript of a second call, dated October 29, between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, a close adviser to President Vladimir Putin who has become a key player in the talks.

Dmitriev suggested informally passing Russia’s preferred terms through backchannels, saying the Americans might not accept Moscow’s exact proposal “but at least it’ll be as close to it as possible.”

After the leak surfaced, Dmitriev posted “Fake” on X, alleging that “the closer we get to peace the more desperate warmongers become.” Ushakov did not deny that the call took place.

The disclosures intensified criticisms that the original 28-point peace plan, which leaked last week, was overly generous to Moscow. 

That proposal reportedly envisioned Ukraine ceding large areas of territory, including some currently under Kyiv’s control, sharply reducing its military and agreeing not to join NATO.

Kyiv and its allies expressed guarded satisfaction with revisions to the plan, though several key points remain unresolved.

Peace proposal continues to evolve

US-Ukrainian engagement has intensified in recent days. Kyiv signaled on Tuesday that it remained optimistic about finalizing an agreement with Washington by the end of the month and hoped to secure a Trump-Zelenskyy meeting in the United States.

But Trump publicly cooled expectations, insisting that he would only host such a meeting once negotiations were in their “final stages.”

Responding to questions aboard Air Force One on Tuesday night, the president described the peace framework as “a concept” and “an original proposal” that continues to evolve through back-and-forth revisions.

Asked whether his earlier Thanksgiving target had slipped, Trump replied, “You know what the deadline for me is? When it’s over. And I think everybody is tired of fighting at this point.”

Moscow claims it is 'premature' to say peace is near

Despite US and Ukrainian optimism, Russia signaled that the prospects for an imminent agreement remained uncertain.

Ushakov said Moscow had received multiple versions of the plan, which he described as “confusing,” though he acknowledged that some elements could be viewed “positively.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reinforced the message, telling reporters it was too early to suggest that peace was within reach. “It’s premature to say so,” he stressed.