"Bloomberg's scoop showing how Trump aide Steve Witkoff coached the Kremlin on the best way to get into Trump's good graces is extraordinary for what it tells us about Witkoff's dubious loyalties and the Kremlin's potential influence over US negotiation efforts. But equally interesting is the leaked material itself and where it may have come from. The story covers two intercepted phone calls:"
"Ushakov, who was on both of the calls, appeared to confirm the authenticity of the recordings on Wednesday: although he claimed some of it was fake, he said he would not comment on the rest because the calls were confidential, and said leaking such discussions is of course unacceptable. In an interview with the newspaper Kommersant, Ushakov said some of his conversations were conducted on encrypted government channels, but suggested the calls with Dmitriev and Witkoff may have been made over WhatsApp."
Intercepted phone calls show Steve Witkoff coached Kremlin aides on how to win Trump's favor, exposing close alignment with Russian negotiation positions and potential Kremlin influence on U.S. negotiation efforts. Two calls were intercepted and transcribed: one between Witkoff and Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, and another between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, who has participated in negotiations with the Trump White House. The audio was published without a byline or dateline and without sourcing details or verification steps. Ushakov partially confirmed the recordings, noting some talks used encrypted government channels and suggesting some calls may have used WhatsApp.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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