Ukraine's refusal to give up territory to Russia stalls peace deal, Trump envoy says
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A territorial dispute remains unresolved in efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, but Kyiv is not prepared to make concessions, U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Jared Kushner said on Sept. 11.
Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference, Kushner said President Vladimir Putin outlined Russia's territorial demands during talks in Moscow on Sept. 5. Kushner appeared to be referring to Russia's demand that Ukraine cede territory in the Donbas.
"President Putin laid out his line of what he wants to achieve," Kushner said during a panel. "If Ukraine wanted to withdraw to that line, then obviously, you know, we have the rest of the deal set up and put together. Ukraine right now does not want to do that."
The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected a ceasefire and demanded that Kyiv cede the partially occupied Donbas, a strategically important region in eastern Ukraine. Moscow is effectively demanding that Kyiv surrender territory that Russian forces have failed to capture militarily.
Ukraine has instead called for a ceasefire along the current front line and stressed the need for Western-backed security guarantees to deter future possible Russian aggression.
Kushner said the U.S., acting as a mediator, is seeking a "creative solution" that would protect Ukraine's interests while persuading Russia to end the war. He urged the sides to look beyond territorial questions and consider opportunities for economic development after the war.
The U.S. expects to announce the next steps in the talks in the coming weeks, Kushner said.
Kushner's remarks came after he and Trump's other envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow and Kyiv last week as part of efforts to break the deadlock in peace talks. The Kyiv visit was the envoys' first since the latest push to revive negotiations.
People familiar with the talks told the Kyiv Independent that the envoys brought revised peace proposals, but no breakthrough was achieved as Putin appeared intent on escalating Russia's war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters after the meeting in Kyiv that he expected "the war will continue" into the winter months despite the renewed diplomatic push.
The most tangible outcome of the envoys' trip was an agreement between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia to resume trilateral negotiations. Previous rounds produced little political progress but led to major humanitarian initiatives, including prisoner-of-war exchanges.
