Talks between Russia and the United States on ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were constructive but much remained to be done, Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, told reporters Wednesday.
Putin met U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in talks that began late Tuesday as part of a renewed U.S. push to broker a peace deal. Both sides agreed not to disclose the substance of the discussions.
Ushakov called the five-hour meeting “rather useful, constructive, rather substantive,” but said the talks addressed the framework of the U.S. peace proposal rather than “specific wording.” Asked whether the talks moved peace closer, he said: “Not further, that’s for sure.”
“There’s still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and in Moscow. That’s what’s been agreed upon. And contacts will continue,” Ushakov said.
He added that “so far, a compromise hasn’t been found” over territory, which the Kremlin regards as essential to resolving the crisis. “Some of the American proposals seem more or less acceptable, but they need to be discussed. Some of the wording that was proposed to us doesn’t suit us. So, the work will continue,” he said.
Ushakov said there were other points of disagreement but did not elaborate. “We could agree on some things, and the president confirmed this to his interlocutors. Other things provoked criticism, and the president also didn’t hide our critical and even negative attitude toward a number of proposals,” he said.
Trump peace plan is center of effort to end the war
The meeting followed U.S. talks with a Ukrainian team in Florida earlier this week, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described cautiously optimistically. Central to the effort is President Donald Trump’s peace plan, made public last month and criticized for appearing to favor Moscow. The proposal included Kremlin demands Kyiv has rejected, such as ceding the entire Donbas region and renouncing NATO membership.
Negotiators say the framework has been revised, though details are unclear. Ushakov said several versions of a peace plan were discussed: “At first there was one version, then this version was revised, and instead of one document, a few more appeared.”
On Tuesday, Putin accused Ukraine’s European allies of sabotaging the U.S.-led effort. “They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” he said, suggesting Europeans have been inserting demands “absolutely unacceptable to Russia,” and blaming them for blocking the peace process.
Putin also reiterated that Russia has no plans to attack Europe but warned that Russia would respond immediately if Europe started a war with it. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, prompting European governments to provide billions in military and financial support to Ukraine, reduce energy dependence on Moscow, and strengthen their militaries to deter further Russian aggression.
European leaders fear that if Russia achieves its aims in Ukraine, it could threaten or destabilize other countries. Incidents such as drone and jet incursions and alleged sabotage campaigns have heightened those concerns. Trump’s plan calls on Europe to provide most postwar financing and security guarantees for Ukraine, despite apparent lack of prior consultation with European governments, prompting them to seek a larger role in talks.
Coinciding with the envoys’ trip to Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ireland as he continues outreach to European supporters of Ukraine.
High-stakes negotiations
Zelenskyy said Tuesday he expected quick reports from the U.S. envoys on whether talks could progress, after Trump’s initial 28-point plan was trimmed to 20 items during Sunday’s U.S.-Ukraine discussions in Florida. “The future and the next steps depend on these signals. Such steps will change throughout today, even hour by hour, I believe,” he said in Dublin.
“If the signals show fair play with our partners, we then might meet very soon, meet with the American delegation,” Zelenskyy added. “There is a lot of dialogue, but we need results. Our people are dying every day. I am ready … to meet with President Trump. It all depends on today’s talks.”
After months of stalled diplomacy, the Trump administration deployed envoys to advance its proposals. Ushakov said a possible meeting between Putin and Trump would depend on progress in negotiations.
The talks have progressed on parallel tracks, with Rubio meeting Ukrainian officials in Florida. Zelenskyy met Tuesday with the Ukrainian delegation that returned from talks with U.S. representatives in Florida; Rubio said those talks made progress. Zelenskyy said the Florida discussions drew on a document both sides drafted earlier in Geneva and called that document “finalized,” without elaborating.
Ukrainian diplomats are working to ensure European partners are “substantially involved” in decision-making, Zelenskyy said on Telegram, and he warned of what he described as Russian disinformation aimed at influencing negotiations.
European leaders want a say
Zelenskyy met political leaders and lawmakers in Dublin on his first official visit; Ireland, officially neutral and not a NATO member, has provided nonlethal military aid to Ukraine and taken in more than 100,000 Ukrainians since the 2022 invasion.
It remains unclear how envoys will bridge gaps over core issues such as territorial control. European officials say the path to peace will be long. They want a greater role after feeling sidelined by Washington and are working on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy under pressure
Zelenskyy faces intense pressure amid a difficult period for Ukraine: managing diplomatic negotiations, securing funds to sustain the state, addressing a corruption scandal that has reached high levels of his government, and countering Russian advances on the battlefield.
The Kremlin claimed late Monday that Russian forces had captured Pokrovsk in Donetsk, a claim Zelenskyy disputed in Paris, saying fighting remained ongoing there. Ukraine’s general staff denied the capture and called it propaganda, saying the military was opening additional supply routes for troops in the area.
