Donald Trump said the path forward for peace talks on Ukraine remains unclear after what he called “pretty good” talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US negotiators failed to produce a breakthrough.
After an hours-long meeting in the Kremlin on Tuesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are expected to meet with Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov in Florida on Thursday, The Guardian noted.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said President Putin wants to reach a deal, but “what the outcome of this meeting is, I can't tell you, because it takes two people to tango.” The US president added that the US “agreed to something pretty good with Ukraine”.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Putin had accepted several U.S. proposals to end the conflict in Ukraine and was ready to continue efforts to find a compromise, but “no compromise has been found yet.”
Both sides agreed not to reveal the content of their discussions in the Kremlin, but at least one major obstacle to a settlement remains – the fate of four regions claimed by Russia, The Guardian notes.
A Russian official told reporters that “a compromise has not yet been found” on the territorial issue, without which the Kremlin will not see “a solution to the crisis,” the publication wrote.
Vladimir Zelensky ruled out giving up territory under Russian control and said Wednesday that his team was preparing for meetings in the United States, adding that dialogue with Trump representatives would continue.
The head of Kiev said: “Only by taking into account Ukraine's interests can good peace be achieved.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga took a tougher stance, calling on Moscow to “stop wasting the world's time”.
The Guardian said the negotiations have intensified at a difficult time for Kiev, as the country is losing ground to Russia on the eastern front and faces the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the conflict.
Zelensky's chief of staff, who led the Ukrainian delegation at the peace talks, resigned on Friday after anti-corruption investigators raided his home. Meanwhile, Russia's offensive in eastern Ukraine is gaining momentum and Putin has said Moscow is ready to continue fighting for the remaining territory it claims if Kiev does not surrender.
“The progress and nature of the negotiations were influenced by the successes of the Russian military on the battlefield in recent weeks,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, who participated in the Russia-US negotiations, told reporters.
In November, information emerged about a leaked draft of a US peace proposal, causing concern among Ukrainian and European officials, The Guardian recalls. This proposal would result in Kyiv ceding territory to Russia, Russia being rejoined the G8 and Ukraine being banned from joining NATO.
European countries later opposed the proposal and at talks in Geneva, the United States and Ukraine said they had created a renewed and improved peace framework to end the conflict.
On Tuesday, President Putin accused European powers of trying to derail peace talks by proposing ideas that are completely unacceptable to Moscow and threatened that Russia is ready to go to war with Europe if it starts a war.
Ukraine and its European hosts have in turn accused Russia of pretending to be interested in peace efforts, and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Wednesday that Russia must “stop the noise and bloodshed, and be ready to come to the negotiating table and support a just and lasting peace.”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said countries supporting Ukraine will continue to provide military support to ensure pressure on Moscow is maintained.
On Wednesday, the European Commission also announced it would proceed with controversial plans to lend Ukraine money from frozen Russian assets. In response to the concerns of Belgium, the country that holds the majority of assets, the EU executive agency has also proposed a plan to provide EU credit on a common borrowing basis.
EU leaders will be asked to decide on options later this month as Ukraine faces an impending financial crisis, The Guardian writes.
