Talks on Ukraine peace plan 'constructive' but 'no compromise' reached on territory, says Kremlin

Moscow: High-level talks between Russia and the United States ended late Tuesday without progress on a proposed framework for Ukraine, a senior Kremlin aide confirmed, following a nearly five-hour meeting in Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, at the Kremlin on Tuesday (December 2, 2025), alongside Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov.

Despite the extended discussions, Kremlin officials said the two sides “reached no compromise” on the central issue: a long-delayed plan for Ukraine’s security and political future.

A Trump–Putin meeting has not been scheduled, Ushakov noted, underscoring the impasse.

The US delegation was kept waiting for Putin’s arrival as the Russian president delivered a separate address promoting foreign investment in Russia, in what analysts described as a calculated signal about Moscow’s priorities and confidence ahead of negotiations.

Symbolism amid stalemate

The inconclusive talks come a day after Putin appeared in military-style camouflage during a televised address, claiming victory in a strategically important Ukrainian city.

The imagery, analysts say, was deliberate.

The message: Russia is pressing forward on the battlefield while political negotiations remain frozen.

Ushakov offered no timeline for further dialogue, saying only that communication channels with Washington remain open but “significant differences persist.”

With neither side able to bridge the gap on Ukraine’s future, Tuesday’s meeting closed with both delegations departing without any agreed next steps.

Eerlier (on Monday), the White House said it was "very optimistic" of a deal being reached to end the Russia-Ukraine war, as US envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

"I think the administration feels very optimistic," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

She said that President Donald Trump and his team "have been working so hard on this effort and they all really want to see this war come to an end."

"Just yesterday... they had very good talks with the Ukrainians in Florida and now of course Special Envoy Witkoff is on his way to Russia."

Witkoff, a business friend of Trump who has become his roving global fixer, met Ukrainian negotiators on Sunday alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and again on Monday.

The Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said the talks "achieved significant progress" but that some issues remained unresolved.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, while trying carefully not to anger Trump, has refused US-backed calls for Ukraine to cede hard-fought territory that Russia has not been able to seize.

A US plan, also presented to the Ukrainians a week earlier in Geneva without their input, would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognize the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

The United States in turn would offer some form of guarantees to Ukraine, but the steps would stop short of Kyiv's ambition to join NATO, the transatlantic alliance that considers an attack on one an attack on all.

Washington pared back the original plan following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear.

Witkoff has faced criticism in the past for his travels to Moscow, where he has entered talks without the usual professional staff that would be routine for US diplomacy with the veteran Russian leader.

Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, has also helped spearhead his diplomacy on the Middle East. As Witkoff's team headed to Russia, Zelensky has been seeking support from European allies.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday with Zelensky that any plan to end the war can only be finalised with the involvement of Ukraine and European powers.

Zelensky for his part warned not to let Russia "perceive anything it could consider as a reward for this war."

Nato foreign ministers will also meet this week in Brussels for an annual meeting but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is skipping the talks, instead sending his deputy Christopher Landau.