Putin and Trump's representative scheduled for important discussions on Ukraine in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, following optimistic remarks from the White House regarding the potential for a peace agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine. Jared Kushner, former adviser to US President Donald Trump, who has been involved in diplomatic discussions, is also expected to attend the meeting.

The summit follows two days of talks in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and Kushner, focused on refining a US-supported peace plan that has been perceived as favorable to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the discussions as "constructive" but noted that some difficult issues remain unresolved.

After a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine's priorities in the negotiations are safeguarding sovereignty and securing strong security assurances. Zelensky highlighted that the issue of territorial concessions remains the most challenging aspect of the proposed peace deal, with Moscow pressing for control over eastern regions of Ukraine, which Kyiv has consistently rejected.

Witkoff also met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Zelensky, and Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, while several European leaders participated virtually in the Zelensky-Macron meeting. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Monday that the draft peace plan had been "significantly refined" and expressed optimism about ending the war, though she refrained from detailing specifics, leaving negotiations to the diplomats.

Last week, Putin acknowledged reviewing a US draft peace proposal and indicated it could serve as a foundation for future talks. However, Kremlin officials later expressed uncertainty about accepting the plan after Kyiv and European allies requested modifications. The initial US-Russia draft circulated in November faced criticism in Kyiv and across Europe for favoring Moscow's interests, including instructions on managing billions in frozen Russian assets and regulating Ukrainian market access in Europe.

Macron stressed that there is currently no finalized peace plan and any agreement must involve Ukraine and European nations. He underscored that territorial concessions can only be decided by Zelensky, and issues regarding frozen assets, security guarantees, and EU accession require European involvement. Macron also acknowledged the efforts of the Trump administration to mediate the conflict, which began with Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and escalated to a full-scale invasion in 2022.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described this week as potentially pivotal, but warned that Moscow seeks negotiations only with parties offering additional advantages. She cautioned that undue pressure could fall on Ukraine, a scenario she stressed would not serve anyone's interests.

Although Russia has occasionally engaged with US-led mediation efforts, many of its demands conflict with Ukraine's sovereignty and are unacceptable to Kyiv. Beyond territorial disputes, security guarantees for Ukraine remain a key sticking point, with Kyiv and European partners seeking protections such as NATO membership, which Russia opposes and the US has ruled out.

The Moscow talks coincide with Russian claims of capturing the strategic towns of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) and Vovshansk in eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed these claims, and open-source monitoring indicates neither town is fully under Russian control.

Author: Sophia Brooks