The Telegraph reported that Steve Witkoff, the special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, appeared inexperienced after a leaked Kremlin call revealed that he had been coaching one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top aides.
According to the report by the paper’s U.S. chief correspondent, Rob Crilly, Trump came into office portraying himself as the ultimate “deal-maker,” and therefore chose unconventional figures to lead negotiations, believing that experience in the detailed world of New York real estate could be more useful than a traditional career in diplomacy and political theory.
The leaked call between Witkoff and Yury Ushakov, Putin’s senior foreign policy adviser, sparked widespread debate about Witkoff’s diplomatic expertise and his understanding of Russia.
The call, according to the newspaper, showed Witkoff giving direct advice to the Russian side on how to deal with Trump and how to approach peace talks—urging Putin to lavish praise on the U.S. president and suggesting a peace initiative similar to the deal that ended the fighting in Gaza.
After Witkoff told the Russian official in the recording—reviewed by Bloomberg—“I told the president that you wanted to reach a peace agreement,” the paper questioned whether he was simply flattering the Russian diplomat or if he truly believed that Russia—which invaded Ukraine—had always been seeking peace.
The danger, Telegraph argued, lies in the fact that Witkoff encouraged Putin to reach out to Trump before an important meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a time when Trump was taking a tougher stance on Russia.
Following the call, Trump announced a possible meeting with Putin in Budapest—which never took place—and later backed down from sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. This created the impression that Witkoff might be too close to Moscow, or that he fails to grasp the risks Russia poses internationally.
Other calls obtained by Bloomberg suggested that the Russian side has been using communication channels to push its positions without offering real commitments, further raising doubts about the effectiveness of the current U.S. approach.
According to Telegraph, these developments come at a sensitive moment in the peace negotiations. And regardless of who leaked the calls—Russia, Ukraine, European allies, or even internal rivals within the Trump administration—the situation suggests that Witkoff’s unconventional style may be running out of steam.
