US negotiators led by Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for marathon overnight talks on ending Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that lasted well into Friday morning.
Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters that their discussions had been "useful in every respect," as Moscow insisted that its territorial demands must be answered to reach a peace deal.
Ushakov, who participated in Putin’s meeting with envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, added that, until these are achieved, "Russia would continue to consistently pursue the objectives ... on the battlefield, where the Russian armed forces hold the strategic initiative."
The meeting came hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticised his European allies Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion that he said has left Ukraine at the mercy of Putin amid an ongoing US push for a peace settlement.
Ushakov noted that US President Donald Trump’s envoys informed Putin about the US leader's meeting with Zelenskyy on Thursday in Davos, where they attended the World Economic Forum, as well as earlier meetings they held with Ukrainian and European officials over the past weeks.
Zelenskyy described the meeting as “productive and meaningful," a sentiment echoed by Trump, who added that both Putin and Zelenskyy want to reach a deal and that “everyone’s making concessions” to try to end the war.
He said the sticking points in talks remain the same as during the past six or seven months, noting that “boundaries” were a key issue. “The main hold-up is the same things that’s been holding it up for the last year,” he said.
Witkoff and Kushner were joined by Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service who serves as a senior adviser on Trump’s Board of Peace that Russia has been invited to join.
More talks in the UAE
Zelenskyy said two days of trilateral meetings involving the US, Ukraine and Russia are due to begin Friday in the United Arab Emirates.
“Russians have to be ready for compromises because, you know, everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine, and this is important for us,” he said.
Ushakov confirmed that a Russian delegation will attend Friday’s meeting in Abu Dhabi. He added that during the Kremlin meeting, the US voiced hope that it would “open prospects for advancing on the entire range of issues linked to ending the conflict and reaching a peaceful settlement.”
Ushakov said that the Russian delegation will be led by the chief of military intelligence Igor Kostyukov. He added that Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, will hold separate talks on economic issues with Witkoff in Abu Dhabi.
