Kremlin Reports No Progress as Trump’s Ukraine Peace Mission Meets Putin’s War Warnings

The Trump administration’s peace initiative for Ukraine encountered a major setback as Tuesday’s Moscow negotiations concluded without achieving breakthrough on fundamental issues. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that five hours of discussions between President Putin and Trump representatives Witkoff and Kushner left the conflict resolution effort at the same distance from completion as before the meeting began.
Vladimir Putin used the diplomatic occasion to deliver aggressive statements targeting European governments, accusing them of sabotaging peace efforts and blocking American attempts to end the war. The Russian president warned that while Russia did not seek conflict with Europe, Moscow stood prepared for immediate war if European powers initiated hostilities. Putin claimed that European demands regarding the conflict’s conclusion were unacceptable to Russia, remarks that appeared designed to exploit potential divisions between Washington and its European allies.
The negotiations focused on an updated version of an American peace proposal that had undergone revisions following input from Russian officials and adjustments to address Ukrainian objections. However, Ushakov indicated that discussions examined essential concepts rather than specific detailed provisions, with Putin expressing mixed reactions including agreement on some points and strong criticism of others. The Kremlin spokesman emphasized that certain negotiation aspects would remain undisclosed and that an immediate Trump-Putin summit was unlikely.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy positioned himself as ready to engage with outcomes from the Moscow talks, expressing willingness to meet with Trump and receive updates from the US delegation. The Ukrainian leader has pursued extensive consultations with European allies to secure support for peace plan modifications, particularly revisions to an earlier framework that heavily favored Russian interests. Zelenskyy has consistently rejected requirements to surrender currently controlled territory and accept military limitations without receiving concrete Western security guarantees.
The persistent diplomatic deadlock reflects the wide chasm between Russian and Ukrainian positions, with Moscow maintaining maximalist demands that effectively require Ukrainian capitulation. Russia’s stated objectives include severe reductions in Ukrainian military strength, prohibition of Western military assistance, far-reaching political constraints, and acquisition of Ukrainian-controlled eastern territories. Putin has simultaneously emphasized Russia’s battlefield momentum, claiming recent gains and threatening intensified maritime strikes, suggesting Moscow perceives little incentive for compromise while maintaining military advantages.