Donald Trump has defended his 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 U.S. president.
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he had not heard the audio, but that Witkoff was doing what a dealmaker does to sell a U.S.-authored peace plan to both Russia and Ukraine.
The leaked call from last month emerged days after the 28-point draft peace plan was presented by the U.S., which largely reflected Russian positions on ending 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 never gone to Kyiv in his role as special envoy, though other U.S. officials have visited and U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll went to Kyiv this week. 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 handing Russia territory in eastern Ukraine currently controlled by Kyiv.
The plan has since been revised to better reflect Ukraine's interests and the views of European allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he was ready to meet Trump to discuss outstanding sensitive points.
In the leaked audio recording obtained and shared as a transcript by Bloomberg, Witkoff appeared to advise Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, on how to get on Trump's good side.
BBC News has not independently verified the reported 14 October call, but Trump said it represented a very standard form of negotiations.
During the leaked conversation, the two men reportedly talked about ending the war, with Ushakov asking if it would be useful to get their bosses - Putin and Trump - to speak.
Witkoff is quoted as saying that my guy is ready to do it, before suggesting how to go about the call.
He further suggested to reiterate congratulating Trump and expressing respect for him as a man of peace. Witkoff indicated that this approach would contribute to a beneficial dialogue.
The call ends with Witkoff telling Ushakov of an imminent Zelensky visit to the White House and indicating that, if possible, Trump and Putin should speak before that meeting.
In the wake of the audio leak, Ushakov remarked that it may have been intended to hinder diplomatic efforts, hinting at the complexities in U.S.-Russia relations.
