Kremlin says US–Russia call leak aimed at disrupting peace talks as Trump downplays controversy

The Kremlin on Wednesday (November 26) accused unknown actors of trying to sabotage ongoing peace efforts after a leaked phone call between senior US and Russian officials surfaced in the media.

Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the publication of the call was clearly intended to obstruct progress.

“It is unlikely that this is done to improve relations,” Ushakov said.

The transcript — published by Bloomberg News — detailed an October 14 conversation in which US envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly coached his Russian counterpart on ways to appeal to President Donald Trump in ongoing peace discussions.

Ushakov dismissed the leak as a hostile act.

“Someone is leaking, someone is listening, but not us,” he said, adding later that “some of these leaks are fake” and that releasing confidential diplomatic exchanges was “unacceptable.”

No deadline for agreement

President Trump downplayed the controversy, insisting the negotiations were continuing despite the leak.

He said his peace proposal had been “fine-tuned” and that he no longer stood by earlier pressure on Kyiv to accept a deal by Thanksgiving.

“You know what the deadline for me is? When it’s over,” Trump said.

White House communications director Steven Cheung dismissed criticism as overblown, writing on X that there was “nothing wrong” with what was said in the “supposed” transcript.

“It shows what a successful negotiator does in order to get a deal done,” Cheung said.

Witkoff will be in Moscow next week, while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll continues separate discussions with Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv and its allies say they are “broadly happy” with revisions made since last week, but key sticking points remain, especially around territorial concessions.

Kyiv confident but Trump cautions against early optimism

Ukrainian officials expressed confidence Tuesday that a deal could be finalized by the end of the month and said they hoped to arrange a direct Trump-Zelensky meeting soon.

But Trump appeared to dismiss that timeline, saying he would meet the two leaders only when a deal is in its final stages.

From Moscow’s side, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned against premature expectations.

“It’s premature to say so,” he said when asked whether Russia was closer to reaching peace with Ukraine.

Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week for further talks, with Trump signaling no rush to sign an agreement but maintaining pressure on both Kyiv and Moscow.