Putin Rejects US Offer: Ukraine Conflict Update

Negotiations between the US and Russian delegations took place in Moscow on Tuesday evening, where they discussed the possibilities of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

However, the five-hour long meeting did not yield any tangible results. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who hosted US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin, is still not going to budge on his demands, which Ukraine is not ready to accept.

Guests are told to wait

The talks in the Kremlin were supposed to start at 17:00 local time, but Putin delayed the start of the discussion by several hours, which is his usual practice. While waiting for the Russian leader, Putin’s representative Kirill Dmitriev, who also participated in the talks, walked with Vitkoff and Kushner in the center of Moscow, and also visited an expensive restaurant. Before the meeting in the Kremlin, Putin spoke at an investment forum in which he veiledly threatened Europe with war. “If Europe suddenly wants to go to war with us, we are ready,” declared the Russian dictator. Putin also accused Europe of trying to block the Washington-led peace plan by “making demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia.” By this, he probably meant the opposition of Ukraine and European countries to the 28-point plan initially proposed by the Trump administration, the circumstances of its creation and Russia’s role in its development have attracted a lot of attention. Later, during negotiations in Geneva and Florida, Ukraine managed to change this plan, providing more favorable conditions for itself. The content of this new plan is not known.

Some points are acceptable

Trump’s envoy Witkoff went to Moscow for the sixth time this year to talk with Putin. Witkoff has been in the spotlight recently, including after the Bloomberg agency released transcripts of Trump’s envoy’s conversations, from which it appears that he gave Russian representatives recommendations in communication with the US president. However, the scandal has not affected Witkoff’s position.

The talks in the Kremlin dragged on past midnight, and immediately after them the US delegation left without commenting to reporters.

Observers conclude that Putin has rejected the peace plan promoted by Washington, which US representatives have previously discussed with Ukrainian officials.

The Kremlin opposes such a conclusion. It is “not correct” to say that Putin rejected the US peace plan, the Russian leader’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said on Wednesday. “Something was acceptable, something was marked as unacceptable,” Peskov said. He declined to divulge details of the talks, saying talks move forward better when accompanied by “silence.” Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuriy Ushakov – another participant in the negotiations – expressed that the negotiations were very “useful and constructive”. He said that Russia has received four more projects in addition to the original US peace plan. “So far, no compromise option has been found, but some proposals made by the Americans look more or less acceptable,” Ushakov said, adding that other proposals “do not suit us.” Putin’s adviser did not hide that during the meeting “territorial problems were especially discussed, without which we do not see a solution to the crisis.” He also said that both countries have agreed not to make the nature of the negotiations public. Observers point out that Putin has so far shown no willingness to make concessions. Among the most difficult points of the negotiations is the demand for Ukraine to abandon the goal of joining NATO, as well as to leave those territories in Donbass that Russia has not occupied. Ushakov, Putin’s advisor, also highlighted the issue of territories after the conclusion of the negotiations. A Russian official, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed to the US TV channel NBC three “pillars” on which compromises are not possible. The first assumes that Russia acquires territory in Donbass. The second provides for “restriction of the armed forces of Ukraine”. On the other hand, the third stipulates that “America and Europe” will have to recognize the territory acquired by Russia, the official said. In certain other issues, Moscow is ready to show flexibility.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who did not attend the Kremlin talks, expressed cautious optimism on Wednesday, noting that any diplomatic breakthrough would depend on Putin’s next move. In an interview with the “Fox News” channel, Rubio stated that the US has managed to make “some progress” in peace efforts, including finding out what Ukraine would be willing to agree to in order to achieve peace.

The meeting is cancelled

After the talks in Moscow, the US delegation had a scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels. However, these talks have been cancelled, but Zelenskiy has returned to Ukraine, Aleks Raufoglu, Washington correspondent of the “Kyiv Post” newspaper, said on the “X” platform on Wednesday, referring to his sources of information. US officials have not commented on this issue, but Russian representatives have spoken about an alleged American promise not to talk to Ukrainians. After the negotiations in Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner “promised that they would not go to Kyiv” and would immediately “return” to Washington, Putin’s advisor Ushakov announced. Meanwhile, Zelensky said on the “Telegram” platform on Wednesday that the Ukrainian delegation led by the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov in Brussels is expected to inform European representatives about the news related to the progress of the negotiations. After that, the Ukrainian delegation will prepare for talks with Trump’s representatives in the US, Zelensky added.