Bold claim: no amount of pressure will bend Russia’s stance on Ukraine. This year marks the sixth time US envoy Steve Witkoff—alongside Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law—has traveled to Russia, receiving the familiar cordial smiles but no real concessions to end the war.
President Trump characterized the talks as “very good” with Putin and other senior officials, mirroring his previous summaries of US-Russian discussions this year. Yet the Russian side described the exchange as constructive but unyielding, with Yuri Ushakov, a top adviser, noting that no compromises have been reached and certain U.S. draft elements were deemed unsuitable for Russia.
Strangely, Secretary of State Marco Rubio wasn’t brought along with Witkoff and Kushner—even though all three had recently met Ukrainian officials in Florida. There, Kyiv’s negotiating team, now led by former defense minister Rustem Umerov, pushed back against a Russia-friendly 28-point U.S. plan, seeking to protect Ukrainian territory and a capable military, among other concessions. The revised plan—an edited version of the original U.S. framework, incorporating Ukraine’s red lines and a European counterproposal—was then presented by the two U.S. envoys to Putin’s camp in Moscow.
AFP reports fresh talks in Miami were anticipated yesterday, signaling the U.S. still aims to advance the U.S.-sketched framework, even as Moscow largely opposes it. President Trump continues to argue that Russia’s leadership seeks a path to peace, but the terms appear fundamentally misaligned: a settlement that cedes roughly a fifth of Ukraine and leaves Kyiv weakened could invite future aggression.
Putin issued two statements this week that encapsulate Russia’s posture. On Tuesday, he delivered a veiled threat to Europe, implying Russia would respond if Europe chose to escalate the war, effectively telling Europe to stay out of the Russia–U.S. negotiations. Russia’s ambassador to the U.K. echoed this stance in comments to Sky News Arabia. On Thursday, in an interview with Indian media, Putin pledged to seize Donbas if Ukraine refuses to withdraw, underscoring Moscow’s intent to press hard on maximal demands regardless of counterproposals.
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky responded with a hopeful counterpoint during a historic address to Ireland’s national legislature, describing a path to “real peace” that would bring lasting security and justice, not merely pauses in fighting. Yet Putin’s Donbas pledge casts a long shadow, making peace feel distant rather than imminent.
Russia’s gradual, forceful advance in eastern Ukraine continues alongside talks that stretch on without substantive concessions. This week, Russia released footage claiming control of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, though Ukrainian forces report ongoing combat in the city. Zelensky later argued that Moscow’s goal is to dissuade U.S. interest in the conflict, a tactic that has persisted through ten months of negotiations.
Trump has voiced frustration with Putin’s negotiation approach at various points and may soon reassess the situation again. Since the initial February call, few positive steps toward a settlement have emerged. The Istanbul talks in the summer yielded prisoner exchanges but little structural progress on borders, NATO status, troop numbers, or assets frozen abroad.
Budapest once looked like a potential meeting point for Trump and Putin in October, but that plan was shelved, and no new summit is currently planned. This widening gap between Russia’s demands and the U.S. tolerance suggests a fragile path to any settlement.
Zelensky underscored the imperative of accountability for aggression and urged determination to avoid erasing the aggression from memory. Meanwhile, Putin traveled to Delhi to meet Indian Prime Minister Modi, using the opportunity to advance trade deals while stalling U.S. efforts to end the war. The question remains: which path leads to durable peace, and who will push hardest to close the gap?
