Putin To Meet Trump’s Envoy For Critical Ukraine Negotiations In Moscow

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled for Tuesday in Moscow, following the White House’s statement that it was “very optimistic” about securing a deal to conclude the Ukraine war.

Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump and unofficial diplomatic adviser, is also anticipated to be present.

This high-level meeting follows two days of discussions in Florida involving Ukrainian and American officials, including Witkoff and Kushner, focused on refining a US-supported peace proposal that has been perceived as tilted toward Russian interests.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky characterized the discussions as “constructive”, though he noted there are “some tough issues that still have to be worked through”.

The meeting between Witkoff and Putin is planned for Tuesday’s second half, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, as reported by the Reuters news agency.

After meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, Zelensky stated that Kyiv’s primary concerns in peace negotiations were preserving Ukraine’s sovereignty and obtaining robust security guarantees.

Zelensky indicated the “territorial issue is the most difficult” aspect of the peace agreement, as the Kremlin continues demanding Ukraine surrender eastern territories it currently holds – a concession Kyiv has consistently refused to make.

Witkoff additionally met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Zelensky and Ukraine’s newly appointed chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, while multiple prominent European leaders participated virtually in the Zelensky-Macron discussion.

Related: Trump Warns Putin Of Tariffs Over Ukraine War

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reported the draft peace agreement had “been very much refined”, stating: “I think the administration feels very optimistic.”

She added: “But as for the details, I will let the negotiators negotiate. But we do feel quite good, and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.”

Last week, Putin indicated he had reviewed a draft peace proposal from the US, suggesting it could serve as the “basis” for a future settlement to conclude the war.

Nevertheless, Kremlin representatives subsequently questioned whether they would accept the proposal after Kyiv and European partners announced they had secured modifications to it.

The original US-Russia draft peace proposal distributed in November created alarm in Kyiv and across Europe.

Beyond being significantly weighted toward Moscow’s requirements, it also prescribed how billions in frozen Russian assets held in European financial institutions should be utilized, while establishing conditions for Ukrainian market entry into Europe.

On Monday, Macron stated there was presently “no finalised peace plan to speak of”, emphasizing that any such proposal could only be developed with contributions from Ukraine and Europe.

Macron noted that territorial concessions could “only be finalised by President Zelensky”, highlighting that matters concerning frozen Russian assets, security guarantees, and Ukraine’s EU membership required European involvement.

The French president also commended the Trump administration’s efforts to end the conflict, which started in 2014 with Russia’s unlawful annexation of Crimea, followed by a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, suggested this week could be “pivotal”, though warned that Moscow only sought to negotiate “with those who are just offering them something on top of what they already have”.

She added: “I’m afraid all the pressure will be put on the weaker side because that is the easier way to stop this war when Ukraine surrenders, but this is not in anybody’s interest.”

In recent months Moscow has occasionally shown willingness to engage with US mediation attempts to reach a war-ending agreement, though several of its demands directly undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and are deemed unacceptable by Kyiv.

While territorial disputes remain the primary obstacle, the matter of security guarantees for Kyiv has also generated controversy.

Kyiv and its European allies desire Ukraine to receive security guarantees – such as NATO membership – that would defend it from future attacks.

However, Russia strongly opposes this and Trump has similarly rejected allowing Ukraine to join the military alliance.

Tuesday’s Moscow discussions occur as Russian officials have asserted they captured the strategically important towns of Pokrovsk – called Krasnoarmeysk in Russian – and Vovchansk in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have not confirmed that either city has been taken by Russia.

Based on open-source intelligence projects that regularly track the war’s front lines, neither Vovchansk nor Pokrovsk have been completely seized by the Russian army.