Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday discussed the potential for direct negotiations with Ukraine during a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the Kremlin. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the warring sides were "very close to a deal."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, reiterated his refusal to consider giving up Crimea, even as momentum appeared to build toward talks. The meeting between Putin and Witkoff took place shortly after a top Russian general, Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed in a car bombing outside Moscow — an attack Russia blamed on Ukrainian intelligence services, though Kyiv has not commented.
Speaking in Rome, where he arrived for the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump posted on Truth Social that Friday had been "a good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine," adding that "most of the major points are agreed to" and that high-level talks should now take place to finalize a peace agreement. Trump, who has threatened to abandon peace efforts if progress stalls, provided no further details.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov described Putin’s talks with Witkoff as "constructive," noting they included discussions about restarting direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow. Ushakov added that the meeting helped narrow the gap between American and Russian positions on Ukraine.
Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine have been stalled since early in the war, although lower-level contacts have continued around prisoner swaps and humanitarian issues like the Black Sea grain deal.
While campaigning for the 2024 US presidential election, Trump has repeatedly vowed to end the Ukraine conflict swiftly, but his relationship with Zelensky has been strained, and he has expressed frustrations with both Zelensky and Putin.
Last month, Putin rejected a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire — a plan Zelensky had embraced. After a deadly Russian missile attack on Kyiv this week, Trump took to social media to urge Putin to stop, writing, "Vladimir, STOP!" and calling for the peace deal to be completed.
Ukraine and its European allies have expressed concern about the possibility of Washington and Moscow negotiating an agreement over Ukraine's head. Witkoff, a billionaire and close Trump confidant, is spearheading US peace efforts but has made statements that have angered Kyiv.
In an interview aired Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told CBS News that Moscow was open to a deal, though some unresolved issues remained. US officials have not publicly disclosed their peace proposal, but reports suggest it could involve freezing current front lines and accepting Russian control of Crimea in return for an end to the war.
Trump, speaking to TIME magazine, reportedly said, "Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that."
In response, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s claim to Crimea, stressing that the Ukrainian constitution defines all occupied territories as part of Ukraine. Nevertheless, Zelensky admitted that diplomacy might eventually be needed to regain control of territory lost to Russia after a ceasefire.
Zelensky said Ukraine currently lacks the military capacity to retake Crimea by force, a point on which he agreed with Trump. The Ukrainian leader also indicated that the recent deadly attack on Kyiv might prevent him from attending Pope Francis’s funeral, where he could have crossed paths with Trump for the first time since their contentious last meeting.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry claimed that Ukraine’s special services were behind the bombing that killed General Moskalik, though no evidence has been presented and Kyiv has yet to issue a response.
