Putin meets Witkoff and Kushner for 5 hours on revised 19-point U.S. peace plan, 'constructive' but no territorial compromise.
Pre-meeting, Putin accuses EU of sabotaging U.S. efforts with 'unacceptable' demands.
Zelenskyy seeks 'just' guarantees, briefs envoys post-talk.
Putin Hosts Witkoff And Kushner In Moscow For Ukraine Peace Talks
In a marathon five-hour Kremlin session, Russia's leader welcomes Trump's envoy and son-in-law with Red Square pleasantries but dismisses European 'unacceptable' demands as sabotage, vowing swift defeat if war escalates while Zelenskyy braces for US-brokered ceasefire amid stalled territorial concessions.
Summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin held extensive talks lasting nearly five hours with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Tuesday, focusing on a revised U.S. peace framework to end the Ukraine war, though Kremlin aides reported no breakthroughs on core territorial disputes. The meeting, the first in-person US-Russia dialogue since Trump's August Alaska summit with Putin, followed productive Florida talks between Witkoff, Kushner, and Ukrainian officials that trimmed the initial 28-point plan to 19, emphasizing a potential Christmas-New Year's ceasefire but retaining Russia's insistence on retaining annexed regions.
Just prior to the session, during a VTB Investment Forum address, Putin issued a stark warning to Europe, accusing NATO-backed governments of "obstructing American efforts" to broker peace and deeming their counter-proposals "absolutely unacceptable" to Moscow. "Russia does not seek war with Europe, but if it starts one, it will end so swiftly there will be no one left to negotiate with," he declared, threatening to sever Ukraine's Black Sea access in retaliation for drone strikes on Russian tankers.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as "constructive," with Putin warmly greeting the envoys—"so pleased to see you"—but noted Russia's unyielding stance on Crimea, Donbas, and other occupied territories comprising 19% of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha countered that Putin's pre-meeting barbs signal no genuine intent for peace, while President Volodymyr Zelensky, touring Europe, reiterated demands for "just guarantees" against future aggression.
As the session extended past midnight, analysts speculated Putin might feign a holiday truce to regroup, potentially staging provocations by spring, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Trump to avoid excluding South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit—a jab as US boycott of Johannesburg over similar "politicization." With Russian advances at their fastest since 2022, the talks highlight Trump's high-stakes gamble to deliver a signature foreign policy win amid Ukraine's battlefield strains.
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