Moscow, Russia – Russian diplomat and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov commented this morning on a Bloomberg report detailing what it described as a conversation between him and US President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkopf, regarding how to deal with the Ukraine plan.
Ushakov categorically denied the accuracy of the US agency’s report. He asserted that the leak of what was purported to be a phone call between him and Witkov was intended to obstruct the peace process in Ukraine and to derail the ongoing normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington.
The Russian diplomat said:
“The aim of promoting this news in this way is to hinder the improvement of Russian-American relations. Relations are currently being rebuilt, and the rebuilding process is difficult and is carried out through various contacts, including telephone calls.”
Ushakov added that he did not know the source of the information reported by the American media, saying:
“Either someone is leaking it or someone is eavesdropping on it, but we are certainly not involved in that.”
The Russian official confirmed that he speaks frequently with Witkov, but declined to comment on the content of these conversations, emphasizing that their substance is confidential.
Bloomberg claimed on Tuesday to have obtained and published a recording of a “leaked phone call” between Witkov and Ushakov dated October 14. However, the Russian president’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, denied the report, asserting that it was fabricated and had no basis in reality.
