Trump’s Envoy Witkoff Caught in Leaked Call Coaching Russian Aide on Ukraine Talks, Sparking Global Diplomatic Crisis

By Farnaz Fassihi and Keith Bradsher The New York Times November 26, 2025

WASHINGTON — A leaked audio recording of a secret October phone call between a top Trump administration envoy and a senior Kremlin aide has exposed what European diplomats are calling a “flattery playbook” designed to sway President Trump on Ukraine peace terms, igniting a full-blown scandal that has prompted accusations of betrayal from U.S. allies and sent the White House into defensive lockdown as the administration scrambles to salvage its high-stakes mediation efforts.

The transcript, published Tuesday by Bloomberg News and verified by The New York Times through multiple sources, captures Steve Witkoff — Mr. Trump’s special envoy for peace missions and a longtime real estate associate — advising Yuri Ushakov, Vladimir V. Putin’s foreign policy chief, on how to butter up the American president during an upcoming call. “Tell him you’re congratulating him on the Gaza deal — that’ll get him in a good mood,” Mr. Witkoff is heard saying in the 14-minute exchange. “Then pivot to Ukraine: Say you want to work together for peace, but emphasize Russia’s security concerns first. He loves when it’s about strength — not concessions.”

Mr. Witkoff’s guidance, delivered in a casual tone that one European official described as “like coaching a salesman on closing a deal,” included tactical tips: Schedule the Putin-Trump call before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit on December 1, and frame any territorial compromises as “practical realities” rather than “surrenders.” The recording, obtained by Bloomberg from an anonymous source, ends with Mr. Witkoff promising to share a “20-point outline” for a ceasefire — a document that, per the transcript, envisions Ukraine ceding Crimea and four eastern oblasts while capping its military at 100,000 troops and forgoing NATO membership.

The revelation has triggered a diplomatic earthquake. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking after an emergency NATO video call, accused the U.S. of “backchannel betrayal,” warning that excluding Ukraine and Europe from the talks “undermines the entire postwar order.” French President Emmanuel Macron went further, telling reporters in Paris: “If America’s secret Kremlin coaching dictates Europe’s security, then Europe must prepare to defend itself without Washington.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced an immediate €5 billion surge in arms to Kyiv, sourced from a new “European shield fund,” and postponed a planned December meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Mr. Zelensky, addressing Ukraine’s parliament Tuesday evening, called the leak “a wake-up call from hell,” vowing to reject any plan “drafted in Moscow’s shadow.” In a direct rebuke to Mr. Trump, he added: “We fought for sovereignty, not for flattery games. If America chooses Putin’s playbook, Ukraine will choose Europe’s alliance.”

The White House response was swift but defensive. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during Tuesday’s briefing, dismissed the recording as “a doctored deepfake from desperate Democrats,” insisting the call was “standard diplomacy” and that Mr. Witkoff’s advice was “nothing more than friendly rapport-building.” Mr. Trump, en route to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, amplified the spin on Truth Social at 3:47 a.m.: “Fake News leaks Kremlin call to sabotage PEACE! Witkoff’s a genius negotiator — Putin respects him like me. Crooked Dems want endless war for Ukraine grift. We’re WINNING BIGLY! #MAGA.” The post, viewed 16 million times by midday, tagged FBI Director Kash Patel, demanding an investigation into the “leak source.”

Behind closed doors, the administration is reeling. Three officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, described Mr. Trump in a “full-blown rage” during a 4 a.m. Air Force One call with Mr. Witkoff, shouting: “You coached Putin? On me? Fix this — or you’re done!” Aides are drafting a counter-narrative framing the leak as Russian disinformation — a claim dismissed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who confirmed the call’s authenticity but called Mr. Witkoff’s tips “amusingly accurate.”

The scandal has deepened rifts with allies. At the G20, outgoing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa skipped the traditional U.S. gavel handover, a symbolic snub that drew gasps from delegates. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, flanked by China’s Premier Li Qiang, quipped: “The G20 is bigger than one backchannel — we’ll pass the gavel when America shows up.” Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, announced a €2 billion emergency aid package for Ukraine, sourced from frozen Russian assets, and postponed a planned December trade summit with Washington.

Republicans are fracturing. Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Lindsey Graham broke ranks Sunday on “Face the Nation,” urging revisions: “This plan gives Putin too much — we can’t reward invasion.” House Speaker Mike Johnson held an emergency caucus Monday, pleading for unity, but whispers of a “GOP revolt” abound, with moderates like Senator Susan Collins decrying the “unilateral diplomacy.”

A Quinnipiac poll released Tuesday shows Mr. Trump’s approval at 37 percent — a nadir — with independents citing “erratic foreign policy” as a top concern. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel quipped: “Trump’s secret Putin coaching? It’s like ‘The Art of the Deal’ meets ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ — all backchannel, no backbone.”

As the G20 declaration — adopted without U.S. input — commits $100 billion to green energy excluding American buy-in, the shockwave teeters the global order. For Mr. Trump, whose “America First” vision once rallied the base, the backfire is personal: A masterstroke turned misstep, leaving allies locked out and the world watching warily.