Five-hour talks between Putin and U.S. officials yield no progress

Media outlets report that diplomatic talks lasting nearly five hours between Russian President Vladimir Putin and top U.S. officials ended without any conclusive outcome.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday morning that the discussion ; held as a possible step toward a peace deal to end the Ukraine war — did not produce any “significant progress.”

On Tuesday at the Kremlin, Putin held high-level talks with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Biegun and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Following a week of intense diplomatic activity, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “very useful, constructive and deep,” but said no shared options for an agreement emerged.

Ushakov added that while some points in the U.S. proposal seemed acceptable, many remained unacceptable for Russia — hence further discussions are necessary. He said talks will continue. At the core of the longstanding disagreement remains Russia’s insistence that Ukraine must abandon NATO membership and that the partially controlled eastern region of Donbas should be handed to Russia.

The Ukrainian side has repeatedly rejected these conditions, which the Kremlin considers a “red line.” The U.S. side has not made any official comment about the meeting. But ahead of the meeting, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean‑Pierre said the American delegation was very optimistic. According to Ushakov, a personal meeting between Putin and Trump could lead to further progress — though no date has been set.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to talk with the American delegates immediately. “Signals from our partners about what was discussed will be very important. If we get an indication they are ready for fair and real progress, a high-level Ukrainian team will join the talks promptly,” Zelensky said.

Putin added, “We do not want war with Europe — but if Europe wants it, we are ready.”

Before the talks, Putin had issued strong statements against Europe. He said, “Russia does not want war with Europe, but if Europe wants war, Russia is prepared to respond.” He accused European leaders of trying to block the U.S.-proposed peace plan and repeatedly accused Ukraine’s European allies of siding with war.

Russia’s dissatisfaction is mainly focused on changes made to the 28-point peace proposal submitted by the U.S. last month after it was rejected by Ukraine and European partners.

Ahead of the meeting, the Kremlin reiterated that a peace agreement is only possible if the root causes of the war are addressed — meaning NATO expansion must be halted. Another Russian demand is that its claims over the occupied Ukrainian territories must be recognized.

Earlier on Sunday, U.S. and Ukrainian teams held another round of talks in Miami, which U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described as positive — but said much discussion remains necessary.