Putin–US envoy’s 5-hour talks yield no breakthrough on Ukraine peace plan

Five hours of high-stakes talks in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s senior negotiators failed to deliver a breakthrough on a proposed Ukraine peace deal, despite weeks of intensive diplomacy.

A Kremlin spokesperson described the meeting as “constructive”, but acknowledged that significant parts of the latest proposal remain “unacceptable” to Russia. President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner held the discussions, though the US side has not issued any public statement since leaving Moscow.

The talks took place hours after Putin rejected key changes suggested by Kyiv and several European governments to the US-drafted peace plan. “If Europe wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now,” the Russian leader warned, calling the modifications unacceptable.

The original plan, leaked in November, was widely viewed as favourable to Moscow. Since then, the draft has undergone multiple revisions following pressure from Ukraine and its European supporters. After Tuesday’s meeting, Putin's top aide Yuri Ushakov said the Kremlin “agreed with some points” but “criticised others”, adding that “no compromise version” had yet emerged. “A lot of work lies ahead,” he noted.

Major points of contention persist between Moscow and Kyiv, especially over demands that Ukraine cede territory it still controls, and over European-backed security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia and Ukraine’s European allies remain sharply divided on the broader shape of any settlement.

Ahead of the talks, Putin lashed out at European leaders for backing Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, accusing them of believing they could impose a strategic defeat on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking during an official visit to Ireland, said there was an opportunity “now more than ever” to end the war, but stressed that Kyiv must be directly involved in negotiations and receive firm security guarantees — such as NATO membership, a demand long rejected by Russia and ruled out by Trump.

“We have to stop the war in such a manner that in one year, Russia would not come back,” Zelensky said. He added that he expected a briefing from the US team once their Moscow consultations concluded, though it remains unclear whether Witkoff and Kushner will travel to Kyiv or other European capitals next.

Ukrainian officials have already held two rounds of high-level discussions with the US envoys and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in recent weeks. The White House has said the peace plan has been “very much refined”, though updated details remain undisclosed.

Putin, believing Moscow currently holds the battlefield advantage, has appeared unyielding in recent days, while Zelensky has repeatedly vowed never to surrender Ukraine’s eastern regions.

As the Moscow talks unfolded, President Trump told his Cabinet in Washington that resolving the conflict “has not been easy”, calling the war “a mess”.

With Agency Inputs