A leaked transcript details how President Trump's 28-point peace proposal came about.
Trump himself dismissed the leak, saying it shows standard negotiating tactics.
What does this mean for the latest attempt to end the fighting in Ukraine?
I'm Steve Inskeep with Michelle Martin, and this is Up First from NPR News.
The president is sending his aides to Moscow and Kyiv to broker a deal.
I think we're getting very close to a deal.
He campaigned on ending the war within 24 hours.
He's now thought to care more about reaching a deal than what's in it.
So what is the view from the White House?
And millions of Americans will take to the skies this week.
The FAA says this year's Thanksgiving could be the busiest in more than a decade.
So what can you expect when you head to the airport?
Stay with us.
We'll give you news you need to start your day.
This message comes from Sotva, official mattress and restorative sleep provider for Team USA, who won 231 total medals at the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
But could they have done even better if they were getting deeper restorative sleep?
Ron Rudson, Sotva CEO, was determined to find out.
So Sotva will provide mattresses for the L.A.
28 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
You can get deep restorative sleep, too.
Visit satva.com slash NPR and save $200 on $1,000 or more.
This message comes from PACA.
Everyone's got that one hoodie they practically live in, but the PACA hoodie, it's on another level.
Softer than cashmere, warmer than wool and still breathable, this alpaca fiber hoodie goes from airport to mountain trail to couch without missing a beat.
And right now, for a limited time.
You'll get 30 off when you purchase three or more items during their Black Friday Cyber Monday sale.
Now's the perfect time to level up your hoodie game at go.pacaapparel.com slash NPR.
A day ago, President Trump's latest Russia-Ukraine peace plan appeared to be making headway, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio praising it and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff planning a visit to Moscow.
And then we learned something about the process leading to this moment.
Bloomberg published a transcript of a phone call between Steve Witkoff and an advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The news service says it listened to a recording and made that transcript.
NPR has not independently confirmed it, but lots of people are now talking about it.
It gives insight into how Witkoff encouraged Russia to manage President Trump and includes a suggestion to develop a peace plan.
We're going to go now to NPR's Eleanor Beardsley, who's following all this from Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
Good morning, Eleanor.
Good morning, Michelle.
So, When did this call happen and who was on it?
Well, it took place in mid-October.
It was between envoy Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov, who is a advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
And it was right after Trump sanctioned Russia's two biggest oil companies.
And Witkoff is right off his success in the Middle East and suggests there could be a similar deal between Russia and Ukraine.
And he encourages Ushakov to get Putin to call Trump, praise his Mideast peace deal and flatter him.
Witkow also mentions Zelensky is coming to the White House soon.
He suggests a call with the Russians beforehand.
And we know now Michelle, that that call from Putin the day before Zelensky's arrival ended any hope Ukrainians had of Tomahawk missiles.
And Michelle.
There's a second recording and transcript of Ushakov with fellow Russian, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's economic advisor, talking about that 28-point US-Russian peace plan from last week that was seen as favoring Russia and has now been heavily amended.
It seems it was a Russian plan after all, pushed by these two men, though we cannot confirm that the Trump administration did not make changes.
But in the call, economic advisor Dmitriev even says, according to Bloomberg quote I don't think they'll take exactly our version, but at least it'll be as close to it as possible.
As close to it as possible.
Okay, so how are Ukrainians taking this in?
Well, I spoke with Ukrainian parliament member and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Oleksandr Merezhko.
He actually called for Witkow to be replaced six months ago, because what he says is his incompetence and complete lack of knowledge of Ukraine and the origins of the war.
So he's not surprised about the latest.
Let's listen.
We know that we're dealing with people in the entourage of President Trump who take pro-Russian position.
Unfortunately,
And we knew it long before that.
But we have to deal with the team of President Trump, no matter who they are.
And what does President Trump have to say about this?
Well, on Air Force One, Trump didn't address concerns that Witkoff may be pro-Russian, but he brushed off concerns about his methods.
I haven't heard it, but I heard it was standard negotiations.
And I would imagine he's saying the same thing to Ukraine, because each party has to give and take.
You know, Trump's reaction shocked Merezhko more.
He believes Trump should remove Witkoff because he says he is discrediting his administration and the US in the eyes of the world.
So do you have a sense of?
I know this news just broke, but is there any sense of how these revelations might affect this negotiation?
Could it derail things?
Well, Mareshko says not on the Ukrainian side, but he says Putin will reject any peace plan that lets Ukraine survive as a sovereign state.
Here he is again.
He thinks that he's winning and he cannot stop, because any peace might cause domestic problems for him.
He believes that he might lose power because of that.
Now Putin envoy Dmitriev calls the Bloomberg leaks fake, while another Russian official said they were leaked to quote hinder US-Russia relations.
That is Eleanor Beardsley for NPR in Kyiv.
Eleanor, thank you so much.
You're welcome.
President Trump is focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
He's sending representatives to both Moscow and Kyiv to work out differences in his latest plan.
I think we're getting very close to a deal.
We'll find out.
The president has not met his deadline of ending the war on the first day, but he keeps trying in different ways.
NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordonez is here to talk about why Trump continues to push, even after all these setbacks.
Franco, good morning.
Good morning, Michelle.
So the original 28-point plan was widely criticized as a wish list by the Russians, as we just said.
Now the administration says it's updated.
Where do things stand now?
Yeah, I mean, the Trump administration really has been furiously negotiating with both sides, you know, bouncing between a Russia-friendly version and now a more Ukraine-friendly run.
Trump now says that there are only a few remaining points of disagreement.
And, as you noted, he said last night that he's dispatching his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and maybe even his son-in-law, to Moscow to meet with President Putin.
And then he's sending Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to meet with the Ukrainians.
But we...
You know, Frank, we've been here before.
Do we have a sense of whether this is really progress?
Yeah, I mean, talks are happening and ideas are being exchanged.
That's something.
I mean, it's more than what was happening a few weeks ago.
But are they closer to reaching a deal?
I mean, not necessarily.
I mean, I was talking with Ivo Dalder, who was the ambassador to NATO in the Obama administration.
And he says basically last week you had Russia agreeing to one plan and now you have Ukraine agreeing to a different plan.
The problem is...
Ukraine and Russia don't agree.
So you can come up with any plan that the US and Russia can agree on and any plan that the US and Ukraine can agree on.
That's not the same as having a plan that Ukraine and Russia can agree on.
And that's their problem.
Last week, President Trump seemed to set this take it or leave it deadline for Thanksgiving.
But he did back off that over the weekend.
What does that tell you about his motivations?
Well, I mean, it's another example of how driven Trump is to just get to yes in any way possible.
Richard Fontaine served in the George W Bush White House and now runs the Center for New American Security.
And he told me that what matters to Ukraine and Russia doesn't so much matter to Trump.
Trump clearly wants a deal.
I don't know that the content of the deal matters all that much to them as long as it stops the fighting.
That therefore gives a lot of leeway to those negotiating what the terms of that deal are.
And, of course, for Ukraine and for the Russians, and for the Europeans and for many people, the terms are all important.
Terms are very important.
And that's why Russia wants more of the eastern Donbass region for strategic and economic benefits.
And it's also why Ukraine wants clear security guarantees from Western partners like the US, to ensure that Russia never invades again.
You know people might remember that Trump talks a lot about the conflicts that he says he has ended.
He did that yesterday during the Thanksgiving turkey pardons.
How much of this is about his quest for the Nobel Peace Prize?
Look, I mean, I think he genuinely cares about the loss of life.
It's something he frequently mentions when talking about the war.
But I don't think you can discount his desire for recognition.
I mean, he talks about the Nobel Peace Prize a lot.
His aides talk about it as well.
And Dalder and Fontaine both told me that Trump is likely looking at his legacy.
And as any president would I mean.
What better way to be seen as the ultimate dealmaker than solving this intractable war?
That is White House correspondent Franco Ardenas.
Franco, thank you.
Thank you, Michelle.
Americans are going to be on the move for the Thanksgiving holiday, and that includes millions who will fly to visit family and friends.
Federal regulators say the U.S. aviation system is back to normal after the government shutdown.
Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, is urging travelers to be on their best behavior as they head to the airport.
It's my responsibility to behave well.
I can't offload that to anybody else.
It's me, and how am I going to behave?
How am I going to have my kids behave as we travel together?
How I dress?
I'm not trying to put a blame on anybody.
I'm just asking us all to be better and do better.
These remarks prompted a lot of reactions, so we've called NPR transportation correspondent Joel Rose.
Joel, good morning.
Hi, Steve.
Are you dressed well for this interview?
This is radio, Steve.
I don't have to answer.
Okay, fine, fine.
We'll just assume.
We'll imagine.
What is the transportation secretary asking here?
Yeah, this is what the Department of Transportation is calling a civility campaign, which it has dubbed.
Quote the golden age of travel starts with you.
Secretary Duffy is encouraging travelers to treat airport and airline staff with respect, to dress better, as you noted, and to show more courtesy to other passengers as well.
The timing on this is a little bit puzzling.
There was a big uptick in episodes of unruly passengers during the COVID pandemic, but those numbers have come down a lot since then.
And the administration's critics note that this campaign is putting a lot of pressure on passengers while seemingly letting airlines off the hook for their part in making flying less civil.
And some critics have noted, the Trump administration is simultaneously rolling back rules about how airlines have to treat passengers.
Well, if I'm heading to the airport, what should I expect today?
I would look for big crowds.
The Federal Aviation Administration says this could be the busiest Thanksgiving in 15 years, with a peak of more than 52000 scheduled flights yesterday alone.
AAA says about 6 million people are expected to fly in the week before and after the holiday, though AAA also cautions that number could wind up slightly lower if some air travelers made other plans because of the flight disruptions that happened during the government shutdown.
There are indications that advanced bookings this year are down a bit compared to last year, off by about 4 according to data from the aviation analytics company Sirium, which suggests that maybe demand is not quite where the airlines expected it would be coming out of the shutdown.
But, you know, in any case, you should expect the airports to be very busy.
Is the system ready?
The FAA says yes.
I mean, the agency says air traffic controller staffing is back to normal levels.
Those controllers, of course, were required to work without pay during the shutdown.
Some took on second jobs and many called out sick.
That led to staffing shortages at many facilities, and it eventually pushed the FAA to order flight reductions at dozens of major airports.
Though those limits are now lifted,
How can we measure the morale of air traffic controllers after they went so many weeks without being paid?
It's an interesting question.
The Department of Transportation has said it will give 10000 bonuses to air traffic controllers who did not miss a single shift during the 43-day shutdown, a proposal originally suggested by President Trump.
But only a small fraction of working air traffic controllers will qualify.
Just 311 controllers out of more than 10000 will get the cash bonuses, according to the Controllers Union.
And that's causing some resentment among those who did not qualify.
Some have called the bonuses unfair and even a betrayal of those who did a lot of hard work during the shutdown.
NPS Joel Rose, who will be among the millions flying today?
Joel, where are you headed?
New Orleans, Louisiana.
Oh, wow.
Sounds great.
Enjoy.
Take it easy.
You too.
That's Up First for Wednesday, November 26th.
I'm Michelle Martin.
And I'm Stephen Skeap.
Thanks for joining us this morning.
Your NPR station makes Up First possible each day, and you can support their work and ours, beginning by going to donatenprorg slash upfirst.
Today's episode of Up First was edited by Kate Bartlett, Rebecca Metzler, Russell Lewis, H.J.
Mai, and Alice Wolfley.
It was produced by Ziad Budge, Nia Dumas, and Christopher Thomas.
We get engineering support from Van Genhoven, and our technical director is Carly Strange.
Our supervising producer is Michael Lipkin.
We hope you'll join us again tomorrow.
Yeah, you can listen while you're doing your early round of cooking.
This message comes from Mint Mobile.
At Mint Mobile, their favorite word is no.
No contracts, no monthly bills, no hidden fees.
Plans start at $15 a month.
Make the switch at mintmobile.com slash switch.
That's mintmobile.com slash switch.
Upfront payment of $45 for 3-month 5GB plan required.
Equivalent to $15 a month.
New customer offer for first 3 months only.
Then full price plan options available.
Taxes and fees extra.
See Mint Mobile for details.
This message comes from Carvana.
Selling doesn't need to be stressful.
With Carvana, it's quick, easy, and all online.
Enter your license plate, get a real offer, and get paid.
Visit Carvana.com to sell your car today.
This message comes from Mint Mobile.
Starting at $15 a month, make the switch at MintMobile.com.
$45 upfront payment for three months.
Five gigabyte plan equivalent to $15 a month.
Taxes and fees extra.
First three months only.
See terms.
