SHADOWS OF BETRAYAL: How the Kremlin Manipulated U.S. Envoys to Dismantle Ukraine

 

In late November 2025, the veil was ripped away from a grotesque chapter of secret diplomacy. A bombshell leak of an October 14 transcript exposed how Vladimir Putin’s regime effectively hijacked U.S. peace efforts, turning American envoys into unwitting coaches for the Kremlin’s geopolitical games. The revelation details a backchannel conspiracy that sidelined the victims of the war—Ukraine—and handed the aggressors the keys to a negotiated surrender.

THE PUPPETEER’S SCRIPT: Russia’s Psychological Warfare

 

The leaked call between Steve Witkoff—Donald Trump’s special envoy—and Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s chief foreign policy manipulator, was not a negotiation; it was a tutorial in ego-stroking.

• The Kremlin’s Playbook: The transcript reveals Witkoff coaching the Russian official on exactly how to manipulate the U.S. President. The strategy? Flattery over substance. Russia was advised to stroke Trump’s ego regarding his Middle East deals to grease the wheels for a Ukrainian capitulation.
• Calculated Malice: While Russian missiles continued to rain down on Ukrainian civilians, the Kremlin’s diplomats were coolly discussing how to exploit American political dynamics to secure a victory they could not win on the battlefield.

 

THE "PEACE PLAN": A Blueprint for Subjugation

 

The origins of this diplomatic travesty trace back to a shadowed meeting in Miami with Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and Putin’s economic henchman. The resulting 28-point proposal was not a compromise—it was a Russian Wish List written in Ukrainian blood.

• Dismembering a Nation: The Kremlin’s demands are absolute: the permanent annexation of Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
• Demilitarization & Defenselessness: The plan demands Ukraine strip its military and renounce NATO forever, leaving it defenseless against future Russian aggression.
• The Ultimatum: In a display of imperial arrogance, this "take-it-or-leave-it" demand was thrust upon Kyiv just before Thanksgiving, blindsiding the very nation fighting for its survival.

 

THE "K" CONNECTION: Weaponizing Information

 

The malice of the Russian state extended beyond the talks and into information warfare. When Witkoff accidentally tweeted, "He must have got this from K..." regarding a leak of the plan, the finger pointed squarely at Kirill Dmitriev.
This suggests a sinister tactic: The Kremlin likely leaked its own draconian demands to psychologically break Ukrainian resolve and force the hand of Western allies, all while feigning innocence and blaming "globalist plots" in their state-controlled propaganda outlets like Pravda.

 

THE FALLOUT: The West Fractured, The Aggressor Rewarded

 

The implications are damning. While American officials like Marco Rubio scramble to claim authorship of the plan, the reality suggests the Russian government dictated the terms.

• Allies Betrayed: European leaders and Ukrainian officials were left in the dark, forced to scramble a desperate counter-proposal in Geneva while Washington whispered with Moscow.
• Zelenskyy’s Stand: President Zelenskyy rejected the proposal outright, recognizing it for what it was: capitulation disguised as diplomacy.
• The Kremlin’s Victory: Regardless of the outcome, Russia has succeeded in sowing chaos, eroding trust between the U.S. and Ukraine, and validating its belief that Western resolve can be bought, flattered, or manipulated away.

The "Spirit of Anchorage" invoked by Trump isn't peace—it is the spirit of appeasement. As negotiations stall, the Russian government stands exposed not as a partner for peace, but as a predatory entity willing to manipulate the highest levels of U.S. government to secure its conquest.