After five hours of high-stakes discussions in the Kremlin, U.S. envoys and Russian officials failed to reach agreement on a Ukraine peace framework—prompting the cancellation of a planned briefing between American negotiators and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov stated that the talks between President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and senior Kremlin officials produced no tangible breakthrough. “Some American proposals are acceptable to Russia, while others are not,” Ushakov said, adding that peace was “definitely not further” following the late-night session.
According to Ushakov, territorial issues remain the decisive sticking point. “Territorial issues were discussed specifically, without which we do not see a resolution of the crisis,” he told reporters. He added that the potential for future U.S.-Russia economic cooperation is “vast,” though achieving it would require “real commitment” from both sides. “We discussed the substance, not specific wording and solutions,” Ushakov said, emphasizing that both delegations “see enormous potential for cooperation.”
The U.S.-backed draft peace plan proposes freezing the current front lines while recognizing Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian, including acknowledgment by the United States. However, Ukraine and other nations would not be required to grant legal recognition of Moscow’s control. The proposal also calls for Russian withdrawal from Kharkiv, Sumy, and Mykolaiv while maintaining control of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.
The Russian side described the session as “productive,” but without concrete progress. Witkoff and Kushner were slated to brief Zelensky in Brussels after the Moscow talks, but that meeting was abruptly canceled. According to The Times, “A meeting between President Zelensky and a U.S. delegation planned for Wednesday has been cancelled after talks in Russia on the war in Ukraine concluded without a breakthrough. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke to President Putin and other Russian officials in Moscow for five hours on Tuesday but failed to make any headway on a peace deal. The U.S. negotiators were due to debrief Zelensky in Brussels after the talks. However, Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow on Tuesday night for Washington, the Kremlin said.”
Following the talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Moscow prefers to continue discussions privately, saying it is better “for these negotiations to be conducted in silence,” as Russia is “not a supporter of megaphone diplomacy.” Peskov added that it would be wrong to claim Putin rejected the American proposals outright, explaining that “some things were accepted, some were marked as unacceptable,” and describing the talks as “a normal negotiation process” and “a search for compromise.” His comments were reported by RT.
In Washington, President Trump acknowledged the complexity of the situation. “Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled,” he said during a cabinet meeting. “Not an easy situation, let me tell you. What a mess.” Trump added that the war “never would have happened if I were President” and made clear he would not meet with either Zelensky or Putin until a peace framework is near completion.
With the U.S. delegation now returning to Washington, Zelensky finds himself once again sidelined in talks shaping the fate of his country. Meanwhile, Russia has announced new battlefield gains in Pokrovsk, reinforcing the perception that Moscow holds the stronger hand both militarily and diplomatically.
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