Ukraine Peace Talks Stall as Putin Rejects US Amendments

MOSCOW: Intensive diplomatic efforts to secure a peace deal in Ukraine hit a significant roadblock on Tuesday, after a five-hour meeting in the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin and top US negotiators failed to produce a breakthrough.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner as “constructive,” but confirmed that several parts of the US-backed draft peace plan—which has been the focus of weeks of diplomacy—remain “unacceptable to Russia.”

Putin’s senior aide, Yuri Ushakov, elaborated after the meeting: “We agreed with some points… but some things we criticised. We have not come up with a compromise version yet… A lot of work lies ahead.” The US team has made no public comment since departing Moscow.

The diplomatic hurdle follows stern comments from Putin earlier on Tuesday, where he lashed out at European leaders supporting Ukraine’s defensive efforts. Putin characterized the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia as an “illusion” and issued a stark warning:

“We weren’t planning to go to war with Europe – but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now.”

Key disagreements between Moscow and Kyiv continue to revolve around Ukraine’s insistence on maintaining control over eastern territories and the nature of security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that any peace settlement must include clear security guarantees, such as NATO membership, to prevent future Russian aggression—a demand Putin strongly opposes.

Speaking during a visit to Ireland before the Moscow talks, Zelensky stated that while there is an opportunity to end the war “now more than ever,” “We have to stop the war in such a manner that in one year, Russia would not come back.”

The original US-backed 28-point plan, leaked last November, was heavily criticized for being overly favorable to Russia. In response, Kyiv and its European allies—who countered with their own document—successfully lobbied for amendments, including the removal of US recognition for Russia’s de facto control over Donetsk and Luhansk.

However, Moscow’s latest response signals that even these “refined” proposals, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said had “made some progress,” are still far from achieving the consensus needed to halt the two-year-old conflict.