A spokesperson for the Kremlin characterized the high-level meeting conducted in Moscow as "constructive" in nature, but simultaneously indicated that specific components of the proposed settlement blueprint remain unacceptable from the perspective of the Russian side.
Mr. Steve Witkoff, who holds the position of President Trump's special envoy, accompanied by his father-in-law Mr. Jared Kushner, were participants in the discussions, which occurred after several continuous weeks of exacting diplomatic efforts explicitly oriented toward achieving a cessation of hostilities in the ongoing war. The American diplomatic team has provided no public commentary since their departure from the Russian capital.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, President Putin had publicly stated that certain modifications put forth by Kyiv and several European nations to a draft peace proposal supported by the United States were insupportable, adding a provocative assertion that if Europe genuinely "wants to initiate armed conflict and commences one, we are prepared instantaneously". The government of Ukraine and its coalition of international allies have consistently exerted pressure on the United States to implement amendments to its preliminary peace framework, a document which the White House has actively striven to secure rapid endorsement for, and which the Kremlin had previously suggested it was amenable to considering.
That particular peace initiative, which was generally perceived as being disproportionately favorable to the Russian Federation after its contents were inadvertently disclosed to major media outlets in the month of November, has been subjected to a series of multiple revisions over the preceding weeks.
When questioned about the status of the aforementioned diplomatic proposal subsequent to the Moscow deliberations, Mr. Yuri Ushakov, a senior advisory figure to President Putin, elaborated that the Kremlin "concurred with certain specific provisions… however, we expressed reservations regarding several elements." He further appended: "We have not yet managed to formulate an ultimately compromised version... A substantial volume of work still lies ahead of us."
Significant points of contention between the Moscow government and the Kyivan administration persist, including disagreements regarding the requirement for Ukraine to relinquish territorial sovereignty over regions it presently retains administrative control of, and the specific guarantees of security to be extended by European powers.
Furthermore, the Russian Federation and Ukraine's European partners remain in a state of pronounced disagreement concerning their respective expectations of the precise nature and eventual configuration of a comprehensive peace settlement.
Speaking immediately prior to the commencement of the official talks, President Putin launched a sharp rebuke directed at continental European political leaders who have consistently endorsed Kyiv's defensive military campaign ever since Russia initiated its large-scale military aggression in the year 2022.
He articulated his belief that European leaders were operating under the misconception that they possessed the capacity to inflict a definitive strategic defeat upon Russia. His nation, he maintained, "was not harboring intentions of entering into armed conflict with Europe - yet if Europe were suddenly to elect to pursue warfare and initiate one, we are currently in a state of immediate readiness."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated an expectation of receiving a comprehensive briefing on the substance of the Kremlin discussions from the American delegation following the conclusion of the meeting, although it remained ambiguous whether Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner would subsequently travel by air to Kyiv or to other European capitals for subsequent rounds of in-person consultation.
In a statement delivered before the Kremlin talks took place, the Ukrainian head of state asserted on Tuesday that a distinct opportunity existed to terminate the war "now more than at any previous juncture," but reaffirmed that several core components of the diplomatic proposals necessitated further meticulous refinement.
"The entirety of the outcome is predicated upon today's discussions," President Zelensky conveyed during a press conference held during an official governmental visit to the Republic of Ireland.
President Zelensky emphasized that there existed "no straightforward resolutions," reiterating his country's absolute insistence that Kyiv must be an active participant in all peace negotiations, and that unequivocal security assurances must be mutually agreed upon, such as the prospect of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) membership - a policy move long opposed staunchly by the Russian Federation and explicitly ruled out by President Trump.
"We are obligated to bring the war to a conclusion in a manner that ensures that in a single year, Russia will not attempt a renewed invasion," President Zelensky concluded.
Ukrainian diplomatic representatives have participated in two distinct rounds of elevated talks concerning the preliminary blueprint in recent weeks, sessions which have witnessed the participation of Mr. Witkoff, Mr. Kushner, and the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
The White House issued a statement confirming that the diplomatic proposals had been "very substantially refined" as a direct consequence of these engagements, notwithstanding the fact that detailed specifications of the updated plan have not yet received official verification.
President Putin - who maintains the conviction that Russia holds the strategic initiative across the various battlefronts - had appeared uncompromising regarding his specific demands as recently as the preceding week, while President Zelensky has repeatedly affirmed that he would never concede administrative control over eastern Ukrainian territories.
Concurrently, while Tuesday's discussions were actively unfolding, President Trump informed his Cabinet in Washington, D.C. that the protracted conflict had proven to be exceptionally challenging to resolve, characterizing the military confrontation as "a complete mess."
In a televised interview segment broadcast on Fox News on Tuesday, Secretary Rubio declared that the United States had "achieved some measure of progress" in recent weeks, but declined to offer an assessment regarding his personal level of confidence that a comprehensive agreement could ultimately be attained, emphasizing that a significant portion of the outcome was contingent upon the Russian president.
He proceeded: "The ultimate determinations must be rendered, in the specific context of Russia, solely by Putin himself - not by his subordinate advisers, but by Putin exclusively. Putin possesses the unilateral authority to terminate this war from the Russian perspective."
Kyiv's European partners had previously submitted their alternative document counterbalancing the US-supported 28-point plan - systematically eliminating a multitude of the most fundamentally contentious provisions, such as Washington's recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as being de facto Russian territories.
President Zelensky had earlier held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, with several other European heads of state participating in the session via virtual conferencing technology.
President Macron declared that there was "no definitively finalized plan to even speak of" and that its successful formulation could only be achieved through the direct collaborative input of both Ukraine and Europe.
In the interim, active military engagement persisted across the front lines throughout Tuesday. The Ukrainian armed forces stated that they were continuing to engage with Russian formations in the strategically critical eastern urban center of Pokrovsk - a claim which directly contradicted Moscow's assertion that it had successfully completed its capture.
The Russian Ministry of Defence disseminated a video recording via the Telegram platform purporting to display its military personnel holding up their national flags within the strategically vital city, which they have been unsuccessfully attempting to seize for a duration exceeding one full year.
The Ukrainian eastern military command alleged that Russia had attempted to execute a "flag-planting maneuver" in the city so that "propagandists" could deceptively claim its total capture. "They retreated in considerable haste, and the continued operation to clear enemy groups remains underway," the command stated in an official communication posted on social media.
The Ukrainian military further asserted that its forces retained administrative and operational control over the northern quadrant of the city, with Russian units incurring substantial casualties, while independent international observers have also publicly disputed Russia's claim to full control over the area.
The military establishment in Kyiv also categorically rejected Russia's counterclaims to have successfully captured the north-eastern Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk and additionally claimed that it had "significantly improved" its operational position in the north-eastern city of Kupyansk, which Russia had previously alleged to have conquered a mere two weeks prior.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine commenced on the date of 24 February 2022, tens of thousands of both soldiers have been either killed or severely wounded - alongside a recorded total exceeding 14,000 civilians, according to statistics compiled by the United Nations.
Civilian structures including educational establishments (kindergartens), medical facilities (hospitals), and various residential apartment buildings have been either completely destroyed or substantially damaged by routine nightly unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) or missile attacks.
The underlying conflict between the two former Soviet republics has historical origins dating back to 2014 when Ukraine's pro-Russian incumbent president was removed from power, and the Russian Federation responded by formally annexing the Crimean Peninsula and simultaneously providing substantial support to armed separatist insurrections across the eastern regions of Ukraine.
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