Vladimir Putin picked up the phone, called Donald Trump and America’s plan to send game-changing missiles to Ukraine was swiftly canceled.
That bombshell account, the Kremlin leader’s premier foreign policy aide told the Wall Street Journal, is the latest revelation of Trump’s whiplash approach to ending the nearly four-year-old war.
Tomahawk missiles would have given Ukraine something it still largely lacks: the ability to strike deep into Russia’s military infrastructure, beyond the frontlines.
With a range of about 1,000 miles and high-precision guidance, they could hit airbases, ammunition depots, command centers and energy facilities that keep Russia’s war machine running – targets Ukraine can’t reliably reach with its current arsenal.
A leaked call, first reported by Bloomberg, revealed how Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, maneuvered to expedite Putin’s access to Trump before a critical White House meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky.
‘Zelensky is coming to the White House on Friday,’ Witkoff told Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign-policy aide, in the recorded conversation. ‘I think if possible, we have the call with your boss before that Friday meeting.’
The transcript shows Witkoff racing to connect Putin with Trump ahead of the October 19 Oval Office meeting with Zelensky. Witkoff also coached Ushakov on how Putin should approach Trump – suggesting the Russian leader praise him for the Gaza peace deal, which he later did.
Two days before meeting Zelensky, Trump spoke with Putin. On that call, Putin warned that sending Tomahawks would harm US-Russia relations. Trump reversed course on the missiles.
‘Putin has greater influence because of many deals going way back… Witkoff has been dealing with the Russians for decades. As the transcript shows, he even advises the Kremlin how to engage with POTUS,’ a former diplomat deeply involved with European affairs told the Daily Mail.
A second diplomat still at the State Department said it’s ‘obvious what side the administration is leaning towards at this point’, though it ‘seems to change every day.’
Bloomberg reported that the talks helped shape an initial 28-point peace proposal heavily favoring Russian interests, later reduced to 19 points.
Republican lawmakers are now in open revolt. Representative Don Bacon said Witkoff ‘acts like he’s on Russia’s payroll’ and called for him to be fired. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick demanded that Trump let Secretary of State Marco Rubio handle diplomacy ‘in a fair and objective manner.’
‘This is a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop,’ Fitzpatrick said.
Trump defended his envoy on Air Force One on Tuesday, saying: ‘It’s a standard thing… that’s what a dealmaker does.’
When pressed on whether Witkoff is too pro-Russian, Trump responded: ‘No. Look, I think this war could go on for years and Russia has got a lot more people. A lot more soldiers, you know? I think if Ukraine can make a deal, it’s a good thing.’
The White House insisted Witkoff is conducting similar outreach to Ukrainian officials.
The Daily Mail asked the White House if Tomahawks were completely off the table at this point. They did not immediately respond.
