Bloomberg published a transcript of an October 14 conversation in which Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff advised Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Usakov on how to propose a peace plan for Ukraine to Trump.

Usakov said the conversations with Witkoff were not meant for public release and should not have been leaked. He called the leak “unacceptable” and said it clearly aimed to obstruct Russia-US talks, implying it was intentional.

Kiril Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy, denied as “fake” a Bloomberg report about another phone conversation.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that some media outlets are being used as part of a hybrid information war by European countries against Russia, aiming to undermine ties with Washington.

Moscow said today that the leak of the recorded phone call between top advisors to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is an unacceptable attempt to sabotage peace talks over Ukraine and amounts to hybrid warfare.

Bloomberg released a transcript of an October 14 phone call, where Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff advised Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Usakov on how to present a peace plan for Ukraine to Trump.

Bloomberg reviewed the recording but did not disclose how it obtained access to such a highly sensitive conversation between top officials of the world’s two largest nuclear powers.

Usakov said his conversations with Witkoff were not meant to be made public and should never have been leaked. “This is unacceptable,” Usakov told Russian media, adding the leak was clearly meant to hinder Russia-US discussions.

In an interview with Kommersant newspaper, Usakov said some talks took place over encrypted government channels that rarely get intercepted or leaked unless one party intentionally wants that.

“There are some WhatsApp conversations that, in general, someone might somehow hear,” Usakov added.

He ruled out the possibility that the leak came from participants in the call and said he would raise the issue with Witkoff.

Kiril Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Putin’s envoy for investments, called Bloomberg’s report about a phone call on October 29 between himself and Usakov “fake.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said some media organizations are being used as part of a hybrid information war waged by European countries against Russia, aiming to undermine ties with Washington.

Bloomberg did not respond to requests for comment on the Russian criticism or how it obtained the recording.

The top Kremlin journalist for Kommersant, who interviewed Usakov, titled his article: “Who Set Up Steve Witkoff?”