Talks between Vladimir Putin and United States special envoy Steve Witkoff ended on Tuesday with both sides calling the discussion “constructive” but admitting that a breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine remains distant, according to media reports.
The five hour meeting at the Kremlin brought together Russia’s president, Witkoff, and Donald Trump’s adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. It came at a delicate moment for a peace push that has divided Europe, unsettled Kyiv and tested Washington’s resolve to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Read also:Putin signals openness to US deal but tells Ukraine to pull back or face more war
Speaking after the talks, Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser said progress had been made but insisted that “there is no compromise yet”. He added: “Some of the United States ideas are acceptable to us but others are not. There is still a lot of work to do.”
The comments underline the deep gaps that remain between Moscow, Washington and Kyiv over the terms of any settlement. According to media reports, Ukraine’s territorial concessions and Russia United States economic ties were among the issues discussed. Ushakov also said Russia received four extra documents alongside the much discussed 28 point United States draft plan that leaked last week.
Read also: Putin rejects Western troop plan for Ukraine, warns of ‘legitimate targets’
That leak set off alarm in European capitals and in Kyiv, with officials warning the proposals leaned too far towards Moscow’s demands. In response, European governments hurried out their own counter offer. At a separate meeting in Geneva, the United States and Ukraine said they had produced an “updated and refined” peace framework.
Tension rose further just hours before the Kremlin talks when Putin delivered a stark warning to Europe. He dismissed Europe’s counter proposals as “absolutely unacceptable” and accused European states of trying to sabotage Trump’s push for a negotiated end to the war. “They are on the side of war,” he said, claiming Europe had made changes “aimed at only one thing, to block the entire peace process”.
While saying Russia did not seek a wider war, Putin declared that if Europe started one, it would “end so swiftly that there would be no one left to negotiate with”. He also threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to the sea in response to drone attacks on Russian tankers in the Black Sea.
Read also:US envoy heads to Moscow as Washington pushes for Ukraine peace deal
Ukraine’s leadership reacted sharply. Foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the remarks showed Putin was “not ready to end the war”. Speaking in Dublin, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed renewed United States engagement but warned that he feared Washington could grow tired of the process. “There will be no easy solutions,” he said. “It is important that everything is fair and open so that there are no games behind Ukraine’s back.”
Russia continues to hold more than 19 percent of Ukrainian territory, and although its gains this year have been limited, Moscow believes momentum is on its side.
Despite the grim public rhetoric, both Moscow and Washington described the latest talks as useful. Media reports say the two sides agreed not to disclose further details of the documents exchanged or the points discussed.
