Ukraine: Russia demands secrecy as Putin meets Trump’s envoy

Russia expects the United States diplomats involved in the Ukrainian peace process to keep details of negotiations secret, following the recent leak to the media.

Moscow made the demand during President Vladimir Putin’s five-hour “constructive” meeting with President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, disclosed that part of the agreement was non-disclosure of information from the session.

“We agreed with our American colleagues not to disclose the substance of the negotiations,” he said. “The discussions were strictly confidential and secret in nature.”

Ushakov recalled that Washington initially presented a 27-point document to Russia, which was reviewed but not really discussed with the American side.

“Subsequently, we received several further documents – four, to be precise – which were also discussed today during our President’s meeting with Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner,” he added.

Revealing that territorial ownership was among the issues talked about, the diplomat called it “a matter of utmost importance to us, and to the Americans as well.”

Ushakov confirmed no compromise has been reached and that though some of the U.S. proposals “appear more or less acceptable”, they require additional deliberations because “certain wording is not suitable for us”.

After his state visit to Kyrgyzstan and the CSTO summit, Putin was asked about the leak of phone chats between Ushakov, Witkoff, and Kirill Dmitriev (Putin’s Special Envoy).

The Russian leader subtly expressed displeasure about the spread of the conversations, particularly in numerous Western media outlets, triggering a scandal.

“Maybe a conversation was eavesdropped on,” Putin told reporters. “Eavesdropping is a criminal offence. In our country, eavesdropping is illegal. Let them mind their own business. By the way, spying is a skill, too.”