The Kremlin has pushed back against claims that President Vladimir Putin rejected the latest proposals from the United States, for a negotiated end to the war in Ukraine, insisting that talks with U.S. envoys in Russia remain active and far from concluded.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “not correct” to suggest that Putin dismissed the U.S. plan during his five-hour meeting with President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Peskov described the engagement as the first direct and substantive exchange of views between both sides under the renewed peace push, noting that “some points were accepted” while others were deemed “unacceptable”.
Senior Russian officials characterised the discussions as “constructive”, but acknowledged that no compromise has yet emerged, particularly on the contentious issue of territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine and the broader security architecture around the conflict.
The talks in the Russian capital, Moscow, came amid a series of diplomatic activities across Europe. In Belgium, NATO foreign ministers convened to assess the negotiations, even as alliance members publicly expressed doubts over Russia’s commitment to a genuine settlement.
Several ministers warned that Russia is using the U.S.-led peace effort to divide Europe and weaken NATO’s cohesion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s negotiators, National Security Secretary Rustem Umerov and Armed Forces Chief Andrii Hnatov, would brief European partners on the Russia engagement before heading to the U.S. for a follow-up meeting with Trump’s team.
Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine would “work constructively” but insisted that any peace must safeguard the country’s sovereignty and long-term security.
The U.S. proposal under discussion, which is a revised form of a leaked 28-point document widely viewed as generous to Russia, remains undisclosed, though both sides have confirmed that additional papers were exchanged in Russia.
The original draft included recognition of Russian control over Crimea and the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, limits on Ukraine’s military size, and a freeze on its NATO ambitions.
European governments, which have offered their own amendments, say they continue to be sidelined as Trump’s envoys pursue a bilateral track with Russia .
Despite the absence of a breakthrough, both Russia and America have agreed to maintain strict confidentiality around the details of the talks.
