Asked about Mr Witkoff’s approach, Mr Trump said he hadn’t reviewed the call but that he heard it was a “standard negotiation”. Mr Trump said Tuesday he was directing Mr Witkoff to meet Mr Putin, in the hopes of finalising a peace plan. “I don’t know why he continues with this war,” Mr Trump said on October 14th, the same day that Mr Witkoff spoke with Mr Ushakov. The US envoy mentioned Mr Zelenskiy’s upcoming visit and suggested that Mr Putin could speak to Mr Trump in advance of that meeting. Those are some of the conditions that Mr Witkoff and Mr Ushakov appear to preview during their call last month.

Source: The Irish Times November 26, 2025 12:08 UTC