High-level negotiations between American envoys and Russian President Vladimir Putin have concluded without a decisive breakthrough on ending the war in Ukraine, despite being labelled "productive" by Moscow officials.
Marathon Moscow Meeting Yields No Territorial Compromise
The talks, held in Moscow on Tuesday, 2 December 2025, stretched for over five hours and concluded after midnight. The US delegation, dispatched by President Donald Trump, included special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. They met with Russian foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Both sides have agreed not to disclose precise details of the discussions. However, in a brief social media post, Mr Dmitriev characterised the meeting with the single word: "productive". Mr Ushakov offered a slightly more expansive assessment, calling it "rather useful, constructive". When pressed on whether the talks brought peace closer, he stated: "Not further, that's for sure".
Despite this cautiously positive tone, a critical obstacle remains. Mr Ushakov confirmed that no compromise had been reached on the issue of territories, a core point of contention. The Kremlin sees "no resolution to the crisis" without one. Russia is demanding control over the entirety of the Donbas region, including areas it does not currently hold, a prospect Ukraine has firmly rejected.
Putin's Defiant Warning Precedes Summit
The diplomatic gathering was preceded by characteristically combative rhetoric from the Russian leader. Speaking earlier on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin warned that Russia was "ready right now" if Europe wanted a war.
"We're not planning to go to war with Europe, I've said that a hundred times," Mr Putin declared following an investment forum. "But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now. There can be no doubt about that." He accused European powers of altering peace proposals with "demands" Moscow finds "absolutely unacceptable", claiming they were "on the side of war".
Zelenskyy's Cautious Optimism and European Concerns
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Dublin on Tuesday, where he met with Irish leaders. During the visit, he expressed a readiness to meet Mr Trump again, contingent on the success of the Moscow talks.
Mr Zelenskyy described the current moment as "one of the most challenging but optimistic" since the full-scale invasion in 2022, noting the US was "taking serious steps to end this war one way or another". He warned, however, that there would be "no easy decisions" and insisted there must be "no games behind Ukraine's back".
The Moscow summit followed the leak of an initial 28-point US peace plan, which caused alarm among European officials who believed it heavily favoured Russian interests. A revised framework was later formulated after discussions between the US, Europe, and Ukraine in Geneva last month.
As the talks concluded, Mr Ushakov acknowledged that "there was still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and in Moscow" and confirmed that contacts between the sides would continue. The path to peace remains fraught, with the fundamental issue of territory still blocking the way.
