Scandalous tapes of Vitkoff: how Trump's advisor was trading Ukrainian lands.

According to ТСН: Den Driscoll is coming to Ukraine again. Last week, he, along with US General Randy George, presented Ukrainian leaders with a controversial 'peace' plan consisting of 28 points, which was published by Western media. According to Reuters, the author of this plan is Moscow, outlining only the demands of the Kremlin. The reasons why the Trump administration chose the Russian perspective may be related to the decisions of Vice President Jay D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who approach the resolution of the conflict differently.

Driscoll is a close associate of Vance, with whom he studied at Yale University. Another special representative of the US president, Steve Vitkoff, has already visited Putin in Russia four times for lengthy negotiations. According to Trump, he will soon head to Moscow again, possibly accompanied by Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who also participated in the creation of the aforementioned plan. The Kremlin has announced that this visit will take place next week.

Disputes within the administration

Vance and his supporters believe that it is worthwhile to negotiate with Russia, even if it requires concessions from Ukraine. In contrast, Rubio, who leads the US delegation at the talks in Geneva, advocates a pro-Ukrainian position, believing that the Kremlin should be held accountable for its aggression. Both politicians have ambitions to run for the presidential nomination from the Republican Party in the 2028 elections, so the issue of the war against Ukraine is key for them.

Leaks of information

Before the visits of Trump's special representatives to Kyiv and Moscow, there was a new leak of information. Bloomberg published a transcript of a phone call between Vitkoff and Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, in which Vitkoff offers advice on how Putin should better communicate with Trump regarding joint work on the peace settlement plan. This scandal has triggered calls for Vitkoff's resignation due to his laudatory remarks about Putin.

'He needs to sell this to Ukraine, he needs to sell Ukraine to Russia. That’s what a dealmaker does. I didn’t hear that, but I heard that it was standard negotiations,' said the US president.

Trump noted that one of the obstacles to making an agreement is territorial issues, believing that Russia is willing to stop military actions if it receives territorial compensations. Some believe that calls for concessions to the Kremlin, made by Driscoll, may heighten tensions between the US and Ukraine.

Impact on the negotiation process

Vitkoff also advised Ushakov on how to better speak about his own territorial claims. 'And now, between us, I know what's needed for a peace agreement: Donetsk and possibly the exchange of some other territories,' the Bloomberg transcript mentions.

Currently, the White House does not deny the authenticity of Vitkoff's conversation. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., condemned the criticism of Vitkoff, considering it aimed at derailing negotiations. Republican Ted Lieu characterized Vitkoff as a 'traitor,' and his colleagues in the House of Representatives called for transparency in negotiations.

This leak of information could significantly influence further steps in the negotiation process regarding the Trump administration's peace plan. The NATO Secretary-General believes that the end of the conflict is still far off, and the EU emphasizes the lack of concessions from the Kremlin in the proposed plan.

Experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies note that negotiations are not taking place in the context of the possibility of Ukraine's victory and Russia's defeat, which indicates the complexity of the situation.