Putin-Witkoff Meeting On Ukraine War Was ‘Constructive’ But Work Remains, Kremlin Says

Negotiations continue between Russia and the USA regarding the termination of the agreement that has been going on for nearly four years. war in Ukraine It was constructive, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, told reporters on Wednesday.

Putin met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in talks that began late Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s new effort to broker a peace deal. Both sides agreed not to disclose the content of the talks.

Ushakov described the five-hour meeting as “quite useful, constructive, quite important” but added that the framework of the US peace proposal was discussed rather than “specific wording”. When asked whether peace was near or far after these talks, Ushakov said, “Not further, that’s for sure.”

“But there is still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and Moscow. This is what has been agreed upon. And contacts will continue,” the official said.

Putin’s aide also said that “so far no compromise has been reached” on the land issue, without which he said the Kremlin sees “no solution to the crisis”.

“Some of America’s proposals seem more or less acceptable, but they need to be discussed. Some of the statements proposed to us do not suit us. Therefore, the work will continue,” Ushakov said.

Although Ushakov did not give further details, there were other points of disagreement. “We were able to agree on some issues, and the President confirmed this to his interlocutors. Other issues led to criticism, and the president did not hide our critical and even negative attitude towards some proposals,” he said.

The meeting came just days after US officials held talks with a Ukrainian team in Florida that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as cautiously optimistic.

At the center of these efforts is Trump’s peace plan, which was made public last month and raised concerns about an intense tilt towards Moscow. The offer conceded some of the Kremlin’s key demands, such as that Ukraine cede all territory, which Kiev has rejected as non-starters. Eastern region of Donbas He abandons his bid to join Russia and NATO.

Negotiators have stated that the framework has changed, but it is not clear how. Ushakov said that several iterations of the peace plan were discussed during the talks. The official refused to go into detail, saying only: “At first there was one version, then this version was revised and instead of one document several more appeared.”

Putin on Tuesday accused Kiev’s European allies of sabotaging US-led efforts to end the war.

Putin said of Europeans, “They have no peace agenda, they are on the side of war.”

Putin’sTrump’s accusations appear to be his latest attempt to sow divisions between Trump and European countries, paving the way for Moscow to avoid being blamed for any lack of progress.

He accused Europe of replacing peace proposals with “demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia”, thus “obstructing the entire peace process”, and blamed Moscow for this. He also reiterated his long-held view that Russia has no plans to attack Europe; This concern is regularly voiced by some European countries.

Putin said, “But if Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it, we are ready immediately. There is no doubt about it.”

Russia launched the war with a large-scale invasion of a sovereign European country in 2022, and European governments have since spent billions of dollars to support Ukraine financially and militarily, weaning off its energy dependence on Russia and strengthening their own militaries to deter Moscow from seizing more territory through force.

They worry that if Russia gets its way in Ukraine, it will be free to threaten or harass other European countries that are already facing conflict. Attacks by Russian drones And fighter jetsand an allegedly widespread Russian sabotage campaign.

Trump’s peace plan relies on Europe providing the bulk of post-war Ukraine’s financing and security guarantees, even though no Europeans appear to have been consulted on the original plan. That’s why European governments are pressing to ensure that peace efforts address their concerns.

Coinciding with Witkoff’s visit, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy He continued his visits to European countries, going to Ireland and helping his country continue its fight against Russian occupation.

Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that he expected rapid reports from US envoys in Moscow on whether talks would progress after Trump’s initial 28-point plan was reduced to 20 points. sunday speeches Between US and Ukrainian officials in Florida.

“The future and the next steps depend on these signals. I believe that such steps will change throughout today, even hour by hour,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Dublin with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

“If the signals show a fair agreement with our partners, we can meet very soon and meet with the American delegation,” he said.

“There is a lot of dialogue, but we need results. Our people are dying every day,” Zelenskyy said. “I am ready to meet with President Trump. Everything depends on today’s talks.”

After months of frustration trying to stop the conflict, Trump directed officials to ensure his peace proposals gain traction. When asked about a possible meeting between Putin and Trump, vice president Ushakov said it would depend on the progress of peace efforts.

The talks have progressed on a parallel track so far. rubio We met with Ukrainian officials. Zelenskyy said that he met with the Ukrainian delegation on Tuesday, which returned from meetings with US representatives in Florida. Rubio said those talks are making progress.

Zelenskyy said he took a document prepared by both sides at an earlier meeting in Geneva as a clue to the Florida talks. The Ukrainian leader said that the document was now “finalized” but did not explain what this meant.

Zelenskyy said on the Telegram messaging app that he was working to ensure that Ukrainian diplomats were “largely involved” in the decision-making process of European partners and warned about what he said were Russian disinformation campaigns aimed at diverting talks.

Zelenskyy met with political leaders and MPs in Dublin on his first official visit. Ireland is officially neutral and not a member of NATO, but has sent non-lethal military support to Ukraine. More than 100,000 Ukrainians have moved to Ireland since Russia started the war on February 24, 2022.

It remains unclear how the envoys will bridge the gap between the two sides over key differences such as: Who protects which region?. European officials say the road to peace will be long.

European leaders want their voices to be heard after being largely sidelined by Washington. They are also working on Ukraine’s future security guarantees.

Zelenskyy is under heavy pressure during one of the darkest periods of the war for his country. In addition to managing diplomatic pressure, he also needs to find the money to keep Ukraine afloat. a corruption scandal This reached the highest levels of his government and kept Russia at bay on the battlefield.

The Kremlin claimed late Monday that Russian forces had captured the key city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. However, Zelenskyy said in Paris on Monday that fighting was still ongoing in Pokrovsk.

Ukraine’s general staff also denied allegations that Russia captured Pokrovsk on Tuesday, saying it was a propaganda show. The Facebook post stated that the Ukrainian army is preparing additional logistics routes to deliver supplies to troops in the region.

You can follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine