U.S. Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff, in a phone conversation with Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, advised him on how to present U.S. President Donald Trump's 'peace plan' for Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and specifically recommended calling the White House before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits Washington. This was reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday, November 25, publishing a transcript of this five-minute phone call, which, according to the agency, took place on October 14. ## How Ushakov and Whitcoff coordinated the call between Putin and Trump Agreeing during the conversation with Ushakov's opinion that it would be 'beneficial for the presidents of Russia and the U.S. to have a call,' Whitcoff gives him recommendations on how Putin could conduct the conversation with Trump. He suggests conveying to the U.S. president that the Russian side congratulates him on his achievements in the Gaza sector, respects that Trump is a 'man of peace,' and that Russia 'would be glad' if a peace treaty is concluded between Russia and Ukraine. At the end of the conversation, according to the transcript, Whitcoff informed Ushakov that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be received at the White House on October 17, and suggested organizing a phone call between Putin and Trump before this meeting. Ushakov replied that he understood Whitcoff's advice and intended to discuss it with Putin, after which he would contact him again. As Bloomberg reminds, two days after the conversation between Whitcoff and Ushakov, on October 16, Putin and Trump indeed had a call - at the initiative of the Russian side. Subsequently, Trump described this conversation, which lasted 2.5 hours, as 'very productive' and announced plans to meet with Putin in Budapest. However, this summit never took place. During the conversation, Steve Whitcoff mentioned the possibility of developing a 20-point peace plan, similar to what was done in the Gaza sector. He also emphasized that he has 'the deepest respect' for Vladimir Putin and understands what it would cost to conclude a peace deal: 'Donetsk (Donbas - Ed.) and perhaps a land exchange somewhere.' 'But instead of talking like that, let’s speak with greater hope, because I think we can conclude a deal. And I think, Yuri, the president will give me greater freedom and discretion to conclude a deal,' Whitcoff points out. ## Trump's 'peace plan' for Ukraine On November 21, Trump's 'peace plan' consisting of 28 points was presented. However, later changes were made to its original version, which take Ukraine's interests more into account. On November 25, Donald Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social that his special envoy Whitcoff would discuss the remaining 'disputed points' of this plan with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Simultaneously, U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, whom Trump appointed as the negotiator for Ukraine, would conduct consultations on the same topic with the Ukrainian side in Kyiv, according to this post. Commenting on Bloomberg's report, White House Communications Director Stephen Chung stated that it proves that 'Whitcoff speaks almost daily with representatives of Russia and Ukraine to achieve peace, which is precisely why President Trump appointed him.' In turn, Russian presidential advisor Kirill Dmitriev, commenting on the criticism of the discussed peace plan, wrote in his microblog X on November 25: 'Those who profit from war and the deep state invest huge resources in attacks on the peace plan and discrediting peacemakers because war is profitable.'