Witkoff-Putin talks end without breakthrough on Russia-Ukraine peace deal
Editor's note: The story was updated with additional details.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Dec. 2 as part of the U.S. effort to advance negotiations aimed at ending Russia's war in Ukraine.
Top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who took part in the talks, called the meeting "very useful, constructive, and highly substantive" but said no concrete deal was agreed upon — a statement suggesting that a final peace agreement remains far off.
The five-hour meeting, originally set for 5 p.m. local time, began nearly three hours late, as Putin attended an investment forum where he issued veiled threats toward Europe.
On the Russian side, the talks were led by Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, a senior economic negotiator. Witkoff was joined by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
"So far, no compromise version of a peace settlement has been found, but some American proposals look more or less acceptable… the work will continue," Ushakov said.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied that Putin rejected the U.S. peace plan, claiming that some parts of the proposal were accepted and some were not.
The meeting took place as Putin signals he sees no need for concessions, having dismissed prospects for progress days earlier and tied any ceasefire to Ukraine withdrawing from unoccupied territory — a nonstarter for Kyiv.
Zelensky said on Dec. 2 that if talks with the Russian side proceed smoothly, he could meet with the U.S. president soon, though "everything depends on today's discussions."
"They want to report to us immediately after their meeting. I think the next steps will depend on these signals," he said, adding that he is ready to meet with Trump.
Axios journalist Barak Ravid reported on Dec. 2 that after their Moscow trip, Kushner and Witkoff were expected to meet Zelensky in an unspecified European country. Ukraine's president traveled to France and Ireland earlier in the week.
After the talks concluded, Ushakov claimed that the two U.S. envoys "promised they wouldn't go to Kyiv, but they promised they'd return home" to Washington.
The White House has not responded to the Kyiv Independent's request for comment.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport earlier in the day, where they were welcomed by Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund. The three then walked together through central Moscow and had lunch at a local restaurant.
Peskov said Witkoff would present Putin with the latest version of the U.S.-Ukraine framework drafted during recent rounds of talks in Geneva and Florida.
Those discussions involved Witkoff, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Kushner, who met a Ukrainian delegation led by Umerov in Hallandale Beach on Nov. 30.
A White House official told the Kyiv Independent that Witkoff and Umerov held another meeting in Florida on Dec. 1 as part of ongoing efforts to revise the U.S.-backed plan.
Zelensky, along with French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also held a phone call with Witkoff to discuss the outcomes of the discussions in Florida.
The original draft of the 28-point peace plan, unveiled in November, required Kyiv to cap the size of its military, abandon its NATO membership bid, and withdraw from some of the territories it controls.
A source in the Presidential Office previously told the Kyiv Independent that Witkoff shaped the first version of the proposal in direct coordination with Dmitriev, who's long been involved in Moscow's efforts to influence U.S. decision-making.
The Moscow visit marks Witkoff's sixth high-level meeting with Putin. Earlier sessions, held on Feb. 11, March 13, April 11 and 25, and in August, each lasted three to four hours.
Witkoff's role has drawn renewed scrutiny after leaked conversations published by Bloomberg showed him advising a Russian official on how to sway the White House.
Washington now waits to see whether Putin will accept or reject the newest framework, though experts the Kyiv Independent spoke with say expectations remain low.
