Putin-Kushner Meeting: US-Russia Peace Talks on Ukraine War Yield No Territorial Compromise

Putin attended a meeting with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared in Moscow.

High-stakes US-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine failed to yield a breakthrough on Tuesday, as the Kremlin said "no compromise" had been found yet on the key question of territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin, after earlier indicating that his forces were prepared to continue fighting to achieve Russia's initial war objectives.

The meeting represents a crucial moment for Ukraine during a potentially challenging week following days of intense diplomatic efforts. Central to these discussions is a US peace plan, which has been revised under pressure from Kyiv and European allies.

Regarding occupied Ukrainian territories, "so far we haven't found a compromise, but some American solutions can be discussed," stated top Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov following the Kremlin meeting.

"Some proposed formulations do not suit us, and work will continue," he added.

Trump acknowledged that progress on ending the nearly four-year conflict would be challenging.

"Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled," he remarked during a White House cabinet meeting.

"Not an easy situation, let me tell you. What a mess."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized on Monday that any plan must permanently end the war, not merely pause the fighting that began with Moscow's February 2022 offensive.

He also noted in a social media post that "there will be no simple solutions".

"What matters is that everything is fair and transparent. That there are no games played behind Ukraine's back. That nothing is decided without Ukraine -- about us, about our future," he stated.

Moscow has expressed reservations about the amended plan. Kushner and Witkoff presented Putin with the revised version of the US proposal, which was developed after the initial version raised concerns in Kyiv and across Europe about excessive concessions to Moscow.

Ushakov explained that the initial US plan was divided into four sections, which were examined during the five-hour Kremlin meeting.

"There were some points we could agree on," the senior Putin diplomatic aide said, but "the president did not hide our critical, even negative, stance on a number of proposals".

Putin has insisted that Kyiv surrender territory Moscow claims as its own. The Kremlin also opposes any European force in Ukraine to monitor a potential truce.

In his social media post, Zelensky identified "the most difficult questions are about territories, about frozen (Russian) assets... And about security guarantees."

Nevertheless, the Moscow talks were "useful," according to Ushakov, and the positions of Russia and the US did not grow further apart afterward.

Putin appeared to convey a hawkish message shortly before the US discussions began.

He stated that Pokrovsk, an eastern Ukrainian stronghold that Russian forces claim to have recently captured, was a "good foothold for solving all the tasks set at the beginning of the special military operation," using the Kremlin's term for the war.

Beyond Pokrovsk, Kyiv faces pressure on multiple fronts.

Russian forces advanced rapidly in eastern Ukraine during November, and Kyiv has been shaken by corruption scandals that led to the resignation of its top conflict negotiator -- Zelensky's right-hand man.

Moscow has also intensified drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and heating, with Zelensky accusing the Kremlin of trying to "break" his country.

The Russian leader also accused Europe of undermining a deal on the conflict and delivered an ominous message, saying: "We are not planning to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now."

Zelensky has indicated he expects to discuss key issues with the US president and suggested Moscow's true motivation for the US talks was to ease Western sanctions.

Europe is concerned that Washington and Moscow could reach an agreement without European input or force Ukraine into making unfair concessions.

The original 28-point US plan revealed last month aligned so closely with Moscow's demands that it prompted accusations of Russian involvement in drafting it, which Washington denied.

Bloomberg reported last month on an audio recording suggesting that Witkoff helped coach Russian officials on how Putin should communicate with Trump.

While Witkoff has met with Putin multiple times, US media reported that this was the first time that Kushner -- who also helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza earlier this year -- has participated in talks with Putin.