Trump defends key negotiator after leaked phone call appears to show him coaching Russia

Franco Ordoñez

November 26, 2025 / 1:02 pm

President Trump is defending Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, after a leaked recording appeared to show him coaching a Russian official on how to better sell Moscow's terms to end the war with Ukraine to the U.S. president.

Trump dismissed any concerns as "a standard thing."

"Because he's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia," Trump said, aboard Air Force One, on his way to Florida. "That's what a dealmaker does."

The controversy has shined a new spotlight on Witkoff, the president's long-time friend and chief negotiator who has drawn criticism for his lack of experience and go-it-alone style.

The recording is of an October

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