Overview
- U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner met Vladimir Putin for about five hours at the Kremlin but left without an agreement on a U.S. draft peace framework.
- Kremlin officials said some U.S. ideas were acceptable yet core provisions remained unacceptable, with no compromise on occupied territories and Ukraine’s NATO prospects.
- President Donald Trump described the talks as "very good" and said his envoys believed Putin would like to end the war, while stressing that the path forward is unclear.
- Witkoff and Kushner are set to hold follow-up talks with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, in Florida on Thursday.
- Russia says recent battlefield gains have strengthened its hand, as European leaders reject any forced border changes and voice concerns over being sidelined in the U.S.-led process.