Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone earlier on Tuesday when he warned Russia was “ready right now” if Europe wanted a war.
Vladimir Putin has rejected the latest iteration of Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine – and told Europe that Russia is “ready” for war.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were involved in the five-hour discussion at the Kremlin, which came days after separate talks were held with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida.
But following the meeting, Mr. Putin’s foreign policy adviser warned a compromise is yet to be found – and “there’s still a lot of work to be done” before both presidents meet again.
Yuri Ushakov said: “We could agree on some things, and the president confirmed this to his interlocutors. Other things provoked criticism – and the president also didn’t hide our critical and even negative attitude toward a number of proposals.”
One particular sticking point relates to Russia’s demand that Ukraine cedes control of the entire Donbas region, which has caused alarm among European leaders.
He warned: “Territorial issues were specifically discussed, without which we see no resolution to the crisis.
When asked whether a deal was closer or further away following the talks, Mr. Ushakov added: “Not further, that’s for sure.”
Nonetheless, the senior Russian official described the negotiations as “rather useful, constructive and rather substantive” – and confirmed that the framework of America’s peace plan was discussed rather than specific wording.
“Some of the American proposals seem more or less acceptable, but they need to be discussed,” he said. “Some of the wording that was proposed doesn’t suit us. So, the work will continue.”
