President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, held a "very good" five-hour meeting Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, advancing U.S. efforts to broker a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin talks mark a major diplomatic push at a pivotal moment, and the first public U.S. acknowledgment of the latest direct negotiations with Moscow.
On Tuesday, one of the most significant diplomatic gambits of President Trump's term unfolded in Moscow, where Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin to present and discuss a revised U.S. peace plan for Ukraine.
In the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the meeting with Putin was "reasonably good," which was later upgraded to "very good."
He told reporters that the envoys' impression was that Putin "would like to see the war ended … their impression was very strongly that he wants to make a deal," though the president cautioned that it was still unclear whether an agreement was possible.
Behind the scenes, Witkoff called Ukrainian national security adviser Rustem Umerov from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow the same night to brief him on the results.
Umerov reportedly is expected to travel to Miami later this week for follow-up negotiations with the U.S. team.
The peace plan under discussion grew out of private negotiations in Miami during late October, when Witkoff and a Russian envoy spent several days working on a draft 28-point proposal aiming to freeze Russia's current front line as a de facto border and offer various security guarantees.
Critics of the plan in both Washington and abroad note its heavy concessions to Russian demands. Under earlier versions, the proposal would require Ukraine to cede additional territory in the east, accept limits on its military size, and forgo future NATO membership.
Supporters of the effort argue the war must end now, warning that continued fighting threatens further Ukrainian losses and broader European instability.
A senior administration official told Reuters that the unconventional diplomacy, conducted without much involvement of traditional foreign-policy experts, represents a risk, but one with "potential rewards."
European partners and Ukrainian officials, however, have voiced skepticism.
Many are wary of peace terms that could lock in long-term Russian control over contested regions or weaken Ukrainian sovereignty.
As of now, no concrete deal has been reached.
Kremlin spokespeople say several key elements remain unacceptable, especially those concerning territorial demands.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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