A Russian official has said that “no compromise” has been reached on the crucial issue of territory in Ukraine, following talks between senior United States officials and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met Putin in the Russian capital on Tuesday, as the United States seeks to broker an end to the deadliest war in Europe since the Second World War.
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The discussions lasted almost five hours and ended after midnight. “So far we haven’t found a compromise, but some American solutions can be discussed,” said top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who attended the meeting.
Although Ushakov described the conversation as “very useful and constructive”, he stressed that “a lot of work lies ahead both in Washington and in Moscow”.
The US delegation had travelled to the Russian capital to discuss a peace plan which Washington has updated since its earlier leaked 28-point draft was strongly criticised by Ukraine and its allies for favouring Russia.
The Kremlin has condemned Kyiv and Europe’s subsequent counter-proposal, with Putin repeatedly saying that it is “unacceptable” to his country.
Ahead of his meeting with the senior US officials, the Russian leader delivered bellicose remarks at an investment forum, where he claimed his nation was ready to fight against Europe.
“They are on the side of war,” Putin claimed, referring to Ukraine’s allies in Europe. “We can clearly see that all these changes are aimed at only one thing: to block the entire peace process altogether, to make such demands which are absolutely unacceptable to Russia.”
The 73-year-old also said Russia would increase attacks on Ukrainian ports and vessels, and tankers that support Kyiv, following the targeting of ships carrying Russian oil off the coast of Turkiye.
Responding to his comments, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said it was clear that Putin did not want the war to end.
“Yesterday he said he was prepared to fight through the winter. Today, he threatens sea ports and freedom of navigation,” Sybiha wrote on social media.
Meanwhile, on a visit to Ireland, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a “dignified peace” was needed.
When asked at an event in Dublin about whether he feared the US could lose interest in the peace process, he said he feared one of Kyiv’s getting “tired”.
“It’s the goal of Russia to withdraw the interest of America from this situation,” he explained.
For his part, US President Donald Trump admitted that the negotiations were difficult.
“Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled,” Trump said at a cabinet meeting in Washington. “Not an easy situation. What a mess,” he added, noting that the war was causing tens of thousands of casualties each month.
Trump’s close allies Witkoff and Kushner could meet a Ukrainian delegation as early as Wednesday, potentially in Brussels, a senior figure in Kyiv told the AFP news agency.
The flurry of diplomatic activity came as Russia claimed that it had seized Pokrovsk, a city of “special significance” in Ukraine’s Donbas.
Kyiv has denied the development, saying that Moscow wants to project the impression that Russia’s advance is inevitable.
Putin suggested on Tuesday that “from this base, from this sector, the Russian army can easily advance in any direction that the General Staff deems most promising”.
Moscow’s forces currently control more than 19 percent of Ukraine, up one percentage point from last year. However, its troops have advanced more quickly in 2025 than at any time since 2022, according to pro-Ukrainian maps cited by Reuters.
In the earlier leaked US peace proposal, Russian demands included a cap on the size of the Ukrainian army, control over the whole of the Donbas and recognition of its presence in Ukrainian regions such as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Kyiv has said such concessions would amount to a “capitulation”, with Zelenskyy saying that protecting Ukraine’s territorial integrity remains the “biggest challenge” in the ongoing negotiations.
