U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, are meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for talks on a potential path to end the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II.
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Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end the war in Ukraine, but his efforts have so far failed to bring about peace — including the summit he held with Putin in Alaska in August.
Ukrainian and European officials expressed concerns last week after the leak of a 28-point U.S. peace proposal they argued capitulated to key Russian demands regarding NATO, Russia’s control of one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, and limitations on Ukraine’s military.
European powers subsequently presented a counter-proposal, after which the United States and Ukraine said they had developed an “updated and revised peace framework” during talks in Geneva.
Putin noted that the discussions are not yet centered on a draft agreement, but rather on a set of proposals that he said last week “could serve as a basis for future agreements.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Witkoff’s meeting with Putin will take place in the second half of the day, but declined to outline Russia’s red lines, saying that “megaphone diplomacy is not helpful.”
A White House official said Kushner will join Witkoff on his trip to Russia.
Putin has repeatedly stated that he is ready for peace talks, but has warned that Russian forces will advance further and seize more Ukrainian territory if Kyiv refuses to reach an agreement.
Maps published by Ukraine-aligned sources show that Russian forces now control more than 19% of Ukraine — around 115,600 square kilometers — an increase of one percentage point compared with the past two years, and that their advances in 2025 have been the fastest since 2022.
Russian military leaders told Putin on Monday that Russian forces have captured the Ukrainian frontline towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk.
U.S. officials say more than 1.2 million people have been killed or wounded in the war. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has disclosed their casualty numbers.
Reuters
