The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the leak of a telephone conversation between senior Kremlin and U.S. officials was an attempt to hinder the talks on a possible peace deal for Ukraine.
Bloomberg News reported that President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, in an October 14 telephone call with Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy aide, said they should work together on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and that Putin should raise it with Trump.
Bloomberg said it had reviewed a recording of the conversation and published a transcript of the call.
When asked why the call was leaked, Ushakov told Russian state television's top Kremlin reporter, Pavel Zarubin: "To hinder, probably. It is unlikely this was done to improve relations."
"As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week."
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