Russian President Vladimir Putin received, on Tuesday, at the Kremlin Palace, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkov, as well as the president’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, in a moment of anticipation. Intensive contacts aimed at ending the war in Ukraine There is a sea of ambiguity about what the points – especially in the field of land transfer – will be included in the final hypothetical peace plan.
According to the only photos of the meeting published by the Kremlin, the two negotiating teams sat around an oval table in one of the rooms of the Russian presidential palace. The Kremlin’s economic advisor, Kirill Dmitriev – one of the main negotiators with Vitkov regarding Ukraine – and the Kremlin’s international policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, participated in the meeting alongside Putin. The meeting continued, behind closed doors, for several hours.
The start of the meeting is scheduled for three in the afternoon. (Spanish time), postponed until shortly after 6:00 p.m. Vitkov and Kushner arrived in Moscow in the morningThey were received by Dmitriev, and were arrested by the press as they walked in Red Square in the Russian capital. However, minutes after the meeting was scheduled, Putin began appearing at a forum organized by VTB Bank. At that symposium, Russian President A Tough tone against EuropeClaiming that they are ready for war and accusing European powers of “posing obstacles” to Trump’s peace plan. It is a plan that he himself downplayed the importance of a few days agoWhich ensures that it is a list of issues that will be discussed at the summit of its security alliance with countries located in the former Soviet orbit.
Tuesday’s meeting will be held at a time when peace negotiations are intensifying, with the United States as an interlocutor, between Russia and Ukraine. On November 20, US envoys sent Zelensky a 28-point peace plan, It was negotiated for weeks between Moscow and Washingtonwhich included territorial concessions by Kyiv and a significant reduction in its army.
Days later, the Ukrainian and American delegations met in Geneva (Switzerland) to work on this proposal and bring it closer to Kiev’s red lines. A summit that ended with positive progress, as Foreign Minister Marco Rubio put it They expanded last weekend in Miami. In those talks, Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s right-hand man since the beginning of the war and who was fired on Friday after a search of his home by the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau, was no longer part of the Ukrainian team.
Zelensky himself confirmed on Monday that contacts with the United States had succeeded “Optimize” the document Which Trump’s envoys presented to Putin on Tuesday. On social media, the Ukrainian president – who visited Ireland on Tuesday – stressed that his envoys, who recently returned from Miami, were maintaining close and constructive cooperation with Washington, and that Ukrainian intelligence services “will provide more information about Russia’s true intentions and its attempts to use these diplomatic contacts to hide its intentions.” Zelensky stressed that he hopes that the American delegation will inform him directly, “in one form or another,” about Putin’s response at the conclusion of the meeting in Moscow.
“There will be no simple solutions to end this war. We understand what is happening and who we are dealing with. The problem is not that it is difficult to make decisions. I can take them. The important thing is that everything is fair and transparent. There should be no matches behind Ukraine’s back. Nothing should be decided without Ukraine“About us and our future,” Zelensky said in another post. regionsthe Frozen Russian assets abroad and Future security Ukraine after the conflict.
Putin accuses Europe of obstructing Trump’s peace
Hours before the meeting with American envoys, Putin publicly announced his positions at a forum organized by VTB Bank. In front of the media, the Russian President categorically rejected the peace proposals put forward by the European Union regarding Ukraine. The European powers were accused of “creating obstacles” To a plan drawn up by the United States and negotiated by both sides with Moscow and Kiev.
“They themselves abstain from peace negotiations and, at the same time, put obstacles in President Trump’s way,” the Kremlin head said. “They have no peace agenda. “They support war.”He stated, in direct reference to France, Germany and the United Kingdom, which drafted a counter-proposal to Trump’s 28-point plan in which it advocated military protection for Ukraine, and that a hypothetical transfer of territory be negotiated from the front lines. He stressed, “They are making demands that are completely unacceptable to Russia. They understand them and then they blame Russia for rejecting this peace process. This is their goal. We see that clearly.”
At the same forum, Putin also once again denied that Russia had plans to attack European territory. We have no intention of attacking Europe. I have said that hundreds of times,” he said, before asserting that “if Europe suddenly wants to fight and does so, we are ready now.” He stressed that “there should be no doubt about this,” stressing that Europe cannot live “in the illusion” that it is capable of achieving “strategic defeat.”
However, the Russian President also acknowledged the impact of international sanctions, as punishment for aggression against Ukraine, on the Russian economy; Although he stressed that although the country’s economy is experiencing a “slowdown,” it is “successfully facing challenges.”
Zelensky welcomes the “serious measures” taken by Trump
In parallel with the summit in Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr was held Zelensky visited Dublin on Tuesday To meet in the Irish capital with Prime Minister Michael Martin. Upon his arrival, Zelensky stressed that the United States was taking “serious measures” to end the war and achieve a “decent and decent” peace, a mission he stressed was “common to everyone in Europe.”
In Dublin, after meeting with the Irish Prime Minister, Zelensky addressed Parliament to urge lawmakers in the traditionally neutral country “not to look the other way.” The Ukrainian president said: “No one can lie to the whole world all the time, not even Putin.”
Zelensky took the opportunity to thank Ireland for its “strong support” in the search for a “just end” to the war and for advocating for the country’s accountability before an international court. He also thanked the president Ireland receives Ukrainian refugeesmore than 120 thousand since the launch of the competition in February 2022.
On the same Tuesday, Ireland announced that it would allocate an additional €125 million to the “non-lethal” aid fund for Ukraine, as part of an agreement signed by the two countries as a “roadmap” for their bilateral engagement until 2030, a plan that expands cooperation that began in 2024 and brings the assistance provided by the Irish Executive during this year to up to €200 million.