
A leaked transcript has exposed that a senior aide to US President Donald Trump coached Russian officials to flatter him to push a controversial peace plan on Ukraine.
In the recorded 14 October conversation, Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy to Russia, advised senior Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov on the rhetorical approach that the Russian leader should adopt when engaging with the US President. According to the transcript, Witkoff recommended that the Russians emphasise praise for Trump's recent Gaza ceasefire efforts, calling him a 'man of peace'.