• Congressman blasts “secret meetings” following leaked details of Witkoff-Kremlin call

• Audio reportedly reveals envoy advising Russian official on how to pitch peace plan

• Fitzpatrick urges White House to empower Secretary Rubio over informal channels

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) issued a stark warning to the Trump administration on Tuesday, characterizing recent diplomatic maneuverings as a “major problem” following reports of a leaked conversation between U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and a high-ranking Russian official. The congressman’s public rebuke highlights growing frustration on Capitol Hill regarding the administration’s reliance on informal back-channels for sensitive foreign policy negotiations.

“Ridiculous Side Shows”

Fitzpatrick, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, took to the social media platform X to express his disapproval after Bloomberg News published details of a call between Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, a top foreign policy aide to Vladimir Putin.

“This is a major problem. And one of the many reasons why these ridiculous side shows and secret meetings need to stop,” Fitzpatrick wrote. He explicitly called for a return to traditional diplomatic protocols, adding, “Allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to do his job in a fair and objective manner.”

Coaching the Kremlin

The controversy centers on a recording of a conversation in which Witkoff, a longtime real estate developer turned diplomat, appeared to coach Ushakov on how to effectively pitch a peace proposal to President Trump. According to the report, Witkoff advised the Russian aide to “talk more hopefully” and suggested that specific land concessions—specifically regarding the Donetsk region—would be necessary to seal a deal.

“Now, me to you, I know what it’s going to take to get a peace deal done: Donetsk and maybe a land swap somewhere,” Witkoff reportedly told Ushakov. He also referenced a “20-point Trump plan” modeled after a previous Gaza ceasefire framework he helped negotiate.

Diplomatic Confusion

The leak has intensified confusion surrounding the administration’s official stance on the Ukraine war. Last week, a 28-point peace plan circulated among diplomats, drawing criticism for its apparent favorability to Moscow. While the White House claimed the proposal was authored by the U.S. with input from both sides, reports surfaced that Secretary Rubio had privately described it to senators as a Russian “wish list” rather than a serious American recommendation.

“The President’s chief Russian negotiator, Steve Witkoff is repeating Russian talking points and participating on a madcap Signal chat about an attack on Yemen while inside Russia.” — Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, referring to previous concerns about informal diplomacy

A Call for Professionalism

Fitzpatrick’s comments underscore a rift between establishment Republicans who favor institutional diplomacy and the President’s inner circle of loyalists. By invoking Secretary Rubio, Fitzpatrick is signaling a desire for the State Department to reclaim authority over negotiations that have been increasingly outsourced to informal envoys.

Critics argue that these “secret meetings” undermine official U.S. leverage and create mixed messages that adversaries can exploit. The revelation that an American envoy was advising a Putin aide on psychological tactics to influence the U.S. President has particularly alarmed national security hawks in Congress.

How does the reliance on informal envoys impact the credibility and consistency of official U.S. diplomatic efforts?