Putin Meets US Envoy Amid Key Ukraine Peace Talks

Published: 02 December 2025 Tuesday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday as efforts intensify to reach a deal aimed at ending the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has acted as an outside adviser in previous diplomatic discussions, is also expected to attend.

The summit follows two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian and US officials, including Witkoff and Kushner, to refine a US-backed peace plan that had previously been seen as favorable to Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the talks as “constructive” but noted that “some tough issues still have to be worked through.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Witkoff’s meeting with Putin will take place during the second half of Tuesday. Speaking after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Zelensky emphasized Kyiv’s priorities in peace talks: maintaining Ukrainian sovereignty and securing strong security guarantees. Zelensky noted that the “territorial issue is the most difficult,” with Russia continuing to push for Ukraine to cede territory in the east — a demand Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.

The Moscow talks occur hours after Russian officials claimed to have captured the strategic towns of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine and Vovchansk near the northeastern border. Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed the fall of either town, and open-source intelligence monitoring the front lines suggests that neither city has been fully captured.

Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s center for countering disinformation, said Russia appears focused on pressuring Ukraine under the terms of the US peace plan. Russia has spent over a year trying to capture Pokrovsk, with Putin visiting a command post over the weekend, noting that progress had been made “in an important area, we all understand just how important.”

Ahead of the Moscow meeting, Witkoff held discussions with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Zelensky, and Ukraine’s new chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov. Several European leaders also joined the Zelensky-Macron meeting virtually.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the draft peace deal had “been very much refined,” adding, “I think the administration feels very optimistic. But as for the details, I will let the negotiators negotiate. We do feel quite good, and we’re hopeful that this war can finally come to an end.”

Last week, Putin stated he had reviewed a draft US peace plan and suggested it could form the “basis” for a future agreement. However, Kremlin officials later signaled uncertainty about whether Russia would accept the proposal after Kyiv and European allies secured revisions.

The outcome of Tuesday’s talks could play a critical role in determining whether diplomacy can halt the protracted and devastating conflict that has reshaped the region’s geopolitical landscape.