In normal times, we the public are left to wonder what presidents and their envoys say to one another behind closed doors, when they’re negotiating deals on which our future safety and prosperity depend – for understandable reasons, this kind of statecraft is kept as secret as it is possible to be.

But, of course, we are not living in normal times. Our latest reminder of that is the publication by Bloomberg of the full telephone transcript between Donald Trump ’s special envoy for peace, his billionaire pal Steve Witkoff , and Vladimir Putin ’s top aide on foreign policy, Yuri Ushakov.

If nothing else, it’s fascinating to see how much these ultra-rich and ultra-powerful men flannel one another even in private. As the call – which took place on 14 October, shortly after Israel and

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