MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Media leaks related to Russia-US talks may complicate the Ukraine peace process; the EU hastens to finalize the seizure of Russian assets by mid-December; and India is rapidly increasing Russian oil imports. These stories topped Thursday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff will visit Moscow next week to discuss a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier, the US and Ukraine held a meeting in Geneva to finalize an updated version of the plan, removing provisions on the recognition of Russian territories, Kiev’s accession to NATO, and the lifting of sanctions. Meanwhile, a leaked transcript of an October Witkoff conversation with Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov isn't helping the peace push, Izvestia reports.
Such leaks complicate the negotiation process and increase the risk of its failure, Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), told the newspaper.
The leak reflects a deep-seated resistance within the US establishment against the current administration’s foreign policy, said Andrey Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts. "Technically, only the Americans could get access to these files, which makes it clear that the leak is targeted against Trump as an attempt is being made to discredit both Witkoff and Ushakov," the expert elaborated. He suggested that certain US and British intelligence officials and members of the US Democratic Party could be behind the leak.
