Overview
- Kremlin officials said the 2 December discussion between Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner produced no compromise, though some American proposals were described as more or less acceptable.
- The United States invited a Ukrainian delegation to continue negotiations stateside and the draft plan has been pared from about 28 points to roughly 20, with Volodymyr Zelensky preparing meetings and Rustem Umerov set to travel with General Staff chief Andriy Hnatov.
- European ministers pressed for involvement and clarity: Czech foreign minister Jan Lipavský said NATO and EU provisions are not in current drafts, Poland’s Radosław Sikorski doubted Putin’s willingness to compromise, and Finland’s Elina Valtonen dismissed Moscow’s warlike rhetoric.
- Dutch foreign minister David van Vil said allies are refining security guarantees for Ukraine as negotiation details remain tightly held and the text limited to a narrow circle.
- On the ground, Ukraine’s General Staff recorded 158 engagements today after 201 yesterday, with the fiercest fighting near Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, while the SBU and police uncovered mobilization-evasion schemes and detained seven organizers.