US says next steps in peace negotiations to be announced within weeks

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [AP]
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. [AP]

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Saturday with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, for more than three hours to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.

Russia described the talks as "very productive," and the White House said the American delegation had discussed "substantive plans" for the next steps in peace negotiations. Neither side disclosed the specific contents of the meeting, however, and analysts said there were no clear signs of a breakthrough.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the talks that Witkoff and Kushner had "put forward ideas on various options that could lead to an agreement," according to Reuters and other outlets.

"This meeting went beyond a simple exchange of views on resolving the Ukraine crisis," Ushakov said. "Economic issues and potentially major Russia-US projects of mutual benefit were also discussed in considerable detail." He added that Putin had expressed confidence in achieving Russia's objectives, telling the delegation that Russian forces were making "real progress" on the battlefield, and reiterated his longstanding position that ending the war requires addressing "all the root causes of the conflict."

Ushakov said he attended the meeting alongside Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's special envoy, as part of the Russian side.

The White House issued an official statement after the talks concluded. A White House official said in a statement sent to foreign media that Witkoff and Kushner had discussed with Putin "substantive plans for the next steps that will be announced in the coming weeks." The official added that the US "looks forward to productive discussions" at talks to be held in Ukraine on Monday.

Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow immediately after the meeting with Putin and are scheduled to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday. It was Witkoff's eighth visit to Russia and his third alongside Kushner. It will be the first time either has visited the Ukrainian capital since the war began.

Welcoming the American delegation at the Kremlin, Putin said Trump "has not stopped his efforts to help resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict." He acknowledged that "the situation we need to address on Sunday is not easy," but said Russia was "ready to share our views" and would discuss "all aspects" with the US side. Putin said Russia had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for three days starting that day, and that Ukraine had reduced its attacks on Russia to about one-tenth of their usual level — but he drew a line at Ukraine's request for a broad three-day truce, saying Russia had not accepted it.

Even as the US delegation shuttles between Russia and Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal, the gap between the two sides over the terms of any settlement remains wide.

The Kremlin said Saturday that Putin's longstanding demand — that Ukraine cede all four regions Russia has declared annexed and abandon its bid to join NATO — remains "unwavering." Ukraine has rejected those terms as tantamount to unconditional surrender.

Since the two sides entered US-brokered negotiations in February, both have intensified long-range strikes on each other's rear areas and continued to clash fiercely at sea.


yg@heraldcorp.com