LONDON and KYIV, Ukraine – The Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, confirmed that there is a “preliminary agreement” for US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff – and likely Jared Kushner – to visit Moscow next week, as the White House calls for momentum toward a possible Ukraine-Russia peace plan.
“As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached for him to visit Moscow next week,” Ushakov said in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin for the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin,” broadcast on Wednesday.
“We have agreed to meet with Mr. Witkoff. I hope that he will not come alone, but that other representatives of the American team working on the Ukrainian file will accompany him, and then we will begin talks,” Ushakov added.
Witkoff, Ushakov said, will “definitely” meet Russian President Vladimir Putin if he comes to Moscow next week.
The interview came after Bloomberg published excerpts from a recording of an alleged phone call between Witkoff and Ushakov, in which Trump’s envoy appeared to offer guidance on how Putin should present the Kremlin’s plan to end the war to Trump.
Ushakov appeared to confirm that the call had occurred, but declined to comment. Ushakov also alleged that the leak was aimed at undermining ongoing peace efforts.
“I talk to Witkoff quite often, but I don’t comment on the substance of our conversations because they are confidential. No one should really comment on them,” he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and presidential aide Yury Ushakov attend a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, November 18, 2025.
Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters
The reported leak was “probably” aimed at “hindering” the discussions, Ushakov said. “It is unlikely that this will be done to improve relations. Now they are established, with difficulty, through contacts of this type, even by telephone.”
Ushakov denied that Russia leaked the call. “Someone is leaking them, someone is listening, but it’s not us,” he said.
In a separate interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant published Wednesday, Ushakov said he regularly contacted Witkoff “through secure communication” and via WhatsApp.
Ushakov then suggested that the leak could have been organized by Witkoff’s detractors.
Trump had already told reporters on Tuesday that his envoy would travel to Russia. “Now, Steve Witkoff will maybe meet with Jared. I’m not sure if Jared will go, but he’s involved in the process, smart guy, and I think they’ll meet with President Putin next week in Moscow,” he said.
Pressed by the Bloomberg report and concerns that Witkoff was too sympathetic to Russia’s maximalist war goals, Trump responded: “No, but that’s standard stuff, you know, because he’s got to sell this to Ukraine. He’s got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what it is, that’s what a negotiator does.”
“You have to say, look, they want this. You have to convince them with this. You know, that’s a very standard way of negotiating. I haven’t heard it, but I heard it was a standard negotiation, and I imagine he’s saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each side has to give and take,” Trump added.
A communal worker sweeps debris in front of a residential building that was damaged during Russian attacks, November 25, 2025 in kyiv, Ukraine.
Elise Blanchard/Getty Images
When asked if Witkoff was “too pro-Russia,” Trump did not answer directly. He instead said that an agreement would be beneficial to both sides and at the same time would appear to enhance Russia’s military capabilities.
“I think this war could go on for years and Russia has a lot more people, a lot more soldiers,” Trump said. “So I think if Ukraine can come to an agreement, it will be a good thing. I think it’s great for both of us. Frankly, I think it’s great for both of us.”
At weekend talks in Geneva, Switzerland, American, European and Ukrainian officials met to discuss the controversial US-backed peace plan proposal presented to kyiv last week, the terms of which critics say would have constituted a Ukrainian capitulation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that the plan “could also form the basis for a final peace agreement” and suggested it align closely with the outcomes of his meeting with Trump in Alaska in August.
On Monday, a Ukrainian official close to the matter told ABC News that the original 28-point draft had been revised to 19 points after the Geneva talks, and both U.S. and Ukrainian representatives found the Geneva talks productive.
TOPSHOT – U.S. and Ukrainian officials discuss a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Nov. 23, 2025. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Geneva on the morning of Nov. 23, 2025, to discuss a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine, after Washington signaled room for negotiation on the controversial proposal. Ukrainian, European and Canadian officials also met in the Swiss city. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP via Getty Images)
Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that the Geneva talks produced a “framework,” adding that kyiv is “ready to move forward together, with the United States of America, with President Trump’s personal commitment and with Europe.”
“I am willing to meet with President Trump,” Zelenskyy continued. “There are delicate points to discuss,” he said.
After the Geneva meetings, a U.S. delegation held additional talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A US official told ABC News on Tuesday: “The Ukrainians accepted the peace agreement… There are some minor details to work out, but they accepted a peace agreement.”
A source familiar with the discussions confirmed to ABC News that Ukraine agreed to the new 19-point peace plan during talks in Geneva, not Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump did not elaborate on what issues still need to be agreed upon with kyiv. “Standard stuff,” Trump said when asked. “But people are starting to realize that it’s a good deal for both sides if they can stop the war; they are losing a lot of people, a lot of soldiers, mostly soldiers.”
President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House on November 22, 2025 in Washington.
John McDonnell/Getty Images
When pressed about Ukraine ceding land to Russia, Trump hinted at land swaps, calling the overall process “complicated” and saying “it’s not going that fast.”
Trump also did not say what concessions Moscow is being asked to make. “They are making concessions. They are big concessions. If you say stop fighting, they will not take any more land,” the president said.
Regarding future security guarantees for Ukraine, Trump said the issue is being discussed with European countries. “Europe will be heavily involved in that,” he said. “We are working on that with Europe. Europe really wants this to end, if possible.”
Moscow has not yet officially commented on the new 19-point plan. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Tuesday that “if the spirit and the letter of Anchorage in terms of the key understandings that we have established are removed, then of course it will be a fundamentally different situation.”
In his interview with Zarubin broadcast on Wednesday, Ushakov said the new plan was “transmitted to us,” as quoted by Russia’s state news agency Tass. But the Kremlin adviser added that the plan “has not yet been discussed in detail with anyone.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that it is “too early to say” that the warring parties could be getting closer to an agreement, according to Tass.
ABC News’ Luis Martínez, Hannah Demissie and Anna Sergeeva contributed to this report.
