White House ‘optimistic’ about deal, but Ukraine still concerned plan is based on Russian demands.
Ahead of the meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, the White House said it was “very optimistic” about reaching an agreement. However, Ukraine is wary that despite meetings with US officials on Sunday and Monday, the proposal still reflects Russian demands that are difficult to accept.
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Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, accompanied by the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, travels to the Russian capital as part of a renewed US diplomatic effort to end the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 when Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
Trump, who promised to resolve the conflict quickly during his election campaign, has expressed disappointment that achieving that outcome has proven more difficult than planned.
Last week the 28-point draft proposal was leaked. It immediately earned condemnation as a Russian “wish list” as it called on Ukraine to give up vast territory, limit its military, and abandon efforts to join NATO.
The plan has since been changed, first with Kiev’s input from its European allies and then in meetings between Ukrainian and US officials on Sunday and Monday.
Full details of the proposal have not been disclosed.
However, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday evening that maintaining Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” remains the “biggest challenge” in the ongoing talks.
Putin has repeatedly said he is open to peace talks and Moscow generally agrees with the latest US proposals as “the basis for future agreements”.
However, he has also threatened that if Ukraine refuses an agreement, Russian forces will continue to advance.
Russian troops have made some progress in recent months on the front lines in eastern Ukraine, which has seen little movement after years of bitter conflict.
Putin said last week, “Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they occupy and then the fighting will stop. If they do not withdraw, we will achieve this by armed means. That’s all.”
Speaking about the upcoming visit by Witkoff and Kushner, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to specify Russia’s red lines, and said megaphone diplomacy was not constructive.
However, Moscow has long reiterated that it will not agree to any ceasefire that does not meet its maximalist demands, which Kiev and its allies warn would put Ukraine at its mercy.
‘looks better’
After discussions with European and US officials in Paris on Monday, Zelensky said the latest peace plan “looks better” but the point related to Ukrainian control over its territories was “the most complex” issue.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking with Zelensky at a joint press conference in Paris, said the flurry of diplomatic activity “could be a moment that could be a turning point” but reiterated “Ukraine must decide its territorial borders”.
Russian forces control more than 19 percent of Ukraine, one percent more than two years ago. However, according to pro-Ukraine maps, this year they have advanced at the fastest pace since 2022.
Putin’s military commanders told him on Monday that Russian forces had captured the strategic front-line city of Pokrovsk.
However, Ukraine denied that claim on Tuesday, saying its forces still controlled the northern part of the key logistics hub and were stepping up attacks on Russian targets in the south.
US officials say more than 1.2 million people have been killed or injured in the war. Neither Ukraine nor Russia disclose their losses.
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