Witkoff and Kushner Meet Putin for Five Hours, No Ukraine Compromise

Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday for about five hours, and the talks ended without a clear breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine, according to CBS News and NBC News.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, described the meeting as constructive and very useful, CBS and NBC reported. Both outlets reported that he said the sides agreed not to disclose details of the discussions. Russian officials reviewed documents from the American delegation, and Ushakov said some of the U.S. proposals “seem more-or-less acceptable” but need to be discussed, NBC reported. Asked whether an end to the war was closer, Ushakov said a great deal of work remained, according to both outlets.

CBS reported that Ushakov called territory the most important issue for both Russia and the United States and said no compromise had yet been found. According to CBS, he also said Moscow had received four documents in addition to the original 28-point U.S. plan, without describing them, and that no direct Putin-Trump talks were planned. Putin asked the envoys to pass “important political signals” to Trump, CBS reported. Kirill Dmitriev, the chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and described by NBC as one of its key negotiators, was pictured walking into the Kremlin with the Americans, NBC and CBS reported.

The meeting followed weekend talks in Florida between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. CBS reported that Trump said afterward, “I think that there’s a good chance we can make a deal,” and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who took part in the Florida talks, called them “another very productive session” while noting “a lot of moving parts.”

The original 28-point plan, which leaked last month, was widely seen as favoring Russia, NBC reported. CBS reported that it included a provision requiring Ukraine to cede territory it controls in Donetsk, and that U.S. and European officials strongly opposed that point. NBC reported that the plan would also have limited the size of Ukraine’s army and barred it from joining NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the plan had been cut to 20 points after talks in Geneva and Florida, according to CBS.

In a statement from Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was waiting for signals from the American delegation after its Moscow meetings and that no “games” should be played behind Ukraine’s back, NBC reported. Speaking in Dublin, he said a meeting with the U.S. team could follow very soon if the signals aligned, according to NBC.

Before the talks, Putin called European efforts to influence the negotiations “absolutely unacceptable” and said Russia did not want war with Europe but was ready if Europe started one, NBC reported. NBC also reported that Russian forces control roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and that European leaders, who say the outcome directly affects their security, were sidelined from the talks. The Kremlin had earlier called it premature to say the sides were close to a deal, CBS reported.

U.S. officials did not immediately comment on the Moscow meeting, NBC reported. According to CBS, Witkoff and Kushner will return to the United States to discuss the meeting with Trump and then contact Russian officials by phone.