KYIV – Following extensive discussions lasting five hours in the Kremlin with U.S. envoys, there was no sign of progress in peace negotiations, prompting Ukrainian and European leaders to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of merely pretending to engage in peace efforts. Despite the lack of a breakthrough, talks are set to continue.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed frustration, urging Putin to “stop wasting the world’s time” with insincere gestures.
The U.K.’s Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, criticized Putin’s approach, calling for him to “end the bluster and the bloodshed” and to seriously engage in discussions that would lead to a “just and lasting peace” for Ukraine, which she emphasized is crucial for European security.
The meeting, held late Tuesday in Moscow, involved U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, alongside Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. This encounter is part of a renewed U.S. initiative to achieve a peace deal, a goal that has remained elusive since Trump resumed office in January.
Both Russian and American parties agreed to keep the details of the discussions confidential. However, a significant obstacle persists: the fate of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia since its invasion in February 2022.
Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to Putin, informed reporters that a compromise on territorial issues has yet to be reached. “Without resolving this,” he stated, “the Kremlin sees no path to ending the crisis.”
Ukraine, too, has ruled out giving up territory that Russia has captured.
Ushakov called the conversation with the American officials “rather useful, constructive, rather substantive,” but added that the framework of the U.S. peace proposal was discussed rather than “specific wording.”
Ahead of the Kremlin talks, Putin delivered stinging criticism of Europe’s role in the negotiations, accusing countries on the continent of wanting to sabotage a deal. He ominously added that although he doesn’t want to fight Europe, “if Europe suddenly wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away.”
Those comments kept tensions high over efforts to stop the nearly four-year war.
Europeans step up assistance for Ukraine
The foreign ministers from European NATO countries, meeting in Brussels, showed little patience with Moscow.
“What we see is that Putin has not changed any course. He’s pushing more aggressively on the battlefield,” Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said. “It’s pretty obvious that he doesn’t want to have any kind of peace.”
Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen struck the same note. “So far we haven’t seen any concessions from the side of the aggressor, which is Russia, and I think the best confidence-building measure would be to start with a full ceasefire,” she told reporters.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s partners will keep sending it military aid to ensure pressure is maintained on Moscow.
“The peace talks are ongoing. That’s good,” Rutte said.
“But at the same time, we have to make sure that whilst they take place and we are not sure when they will end, that Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going, to fight back against the Russians. But also in the strongest possible position when peace talks really get to a point where they sit at the table,” he said.
Canada, Germany, Poland and the Netherland announced that they will spend hundreds of millions of dollars more together to buy U.S. weapons to donate to Ukraine.
In August, European allies at NATO began buying American weapons for Ukraine under a financial arrangement known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL.
The war claims more lives
Russia and Ukraine are engaged in a grim war of attrition on the battlefield and are using drones and missiles for long-range strikes behind the front line.
Russian drones hit the town of Ternivka in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, killing two people and injuring three more, the head of the regional military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, said Wednesday.
Two people were in critical condition, he said, after the attack destroyed one house and damaged six more.
Overall, Russia fired 111 strike and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukraine’s air force said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Wednesday that air defenses destroyed 102 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Falling drone debris sparked a fire at an oil depot in the Tambov region, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Moscow, local Gov. Yegveniy Pervyshov said.
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Cook reported from Brussels.
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