From Europe To Moscow And Washington: Hunt On For Operative Who Tapped US, Russian Envoys’ Call

Last Updated:November 27, 2025, 19:38 IST

Leak of Witkoff call with Putin aide sparks spy-hunt across capitals.

Who was listening? Trump admin points to European intelligence in leak of Witkoff–Ushakov call. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE/REPRESENTATIVE)

The leaked contents of the call between US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin senior adviser Yuri Ushakov has sparked a global hunt to identify who could have intercepted a sensitive conversation between two aides of the world’s largest nuclear powers.

Witkoff and Ushakov spoke on October 12 to discuss ways to revive the Ukraine peace process, and the transcript of their conversation was leaked by Bloomberg News on Tuesday.

By Wednesday, the leak had set off an international round of speculation. According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the broader reactions, senior Russian officials hinted that a European intelligence service may have been behind the interception.

The call — in which the envoys discussed how to get their “bosses" to revive a stalled peace deal — immediately raised questions over who had the capability to eavesdrop on such a high-level exchange and who stood to gain from leaking it.

European officials told the WSJ that Russia itself could be responsible, suggesting “an element within the Russian government or oligarchy that is profiting from the war and wants it to continue" may have done it. One official said it could even be a power move by Moscow to signal that “Witkoff was in their pocket."

A senior Trump administration official, however, told the newspaper that the leak originated with a foreign intelligence agency — and that the true target was Ushakov, not Witkoff. A second call between Ushakov and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev was also leaked.

Another European official noted that dozens of countries possess the technical capability to tap Ushakov’s calls because he was using an open line.

Ushakov himself later hinted in a Russian media interview that some of these exchanges occur over WhatsApp — the encrypted Meta-owned app — implying that even such platforms may not be fully secure.

The European official said Europe was the likeliest source but admitted he did not know which country. He did not rule out Russia either, citing “divisions and infighting over Dmitriev’s role as a Kremlin go-between."

There was also speculation that a rogue member of a US agency, worried that Trump might push Ukraine into an unfavourable deal, could have been involved.

The October 14 call between Witkoff — Trump’s peace envoy for both Gaza and Ukraine — and Ushakov offered a rare window into how the now-emerging 28-point peace plan took shape, a framework widely viewed as favourable to Moscow. As Trump grew increasingly irritated with Vladimir Putin for “not wanting to end the war," Witkoff urged Ushakov to have Putin call Trump directly and even coached him on the tone to adopt. He suggested starting the call by praising Trump for the Gaza cease-fire deal, telling Ushakov: “From that, it’s going to be a really good call," according to the transcript first published by Bloomberg.

Putin did call Trump later that week — and the conversation appeared to work in Russia’s favour. The next day, during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House, Trump rejected Kyiv’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Despite the uproar, Trump defended Witkoff’s conduct, calling the conversation standard negotiating practice and insisting nothing improper occurred.

Ukraine also backed the envoy. “We don’t believe that Witkoff is playing on the Kremlin side," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told the newspaper, even as some Republican lawmakers suggested Witkoff was getting “too cozy" with Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Thursday downplayed the entire controversy, saying the leak changed nothing and that Moscow’s objectives in its “special military operation" remain firmly in place.

News world From Europe To Moscow And Washington: Hunt On For Operative Who Tapped US, Russian Envoys’ Call

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