The Kremlin has described the meeting as constructive and said Moscow and Washington had agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict<\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. The Kremlin described the meeting as constructive and confirmed that diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict will continue.\u00a0
\nThe talks followed two days of US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, which focused on a potential settlement of the conflict and the future European security architecture.\u00a0
\nSenior officials, including Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Witkoff, have been speaking to reporters following the meeting.\u00a0
\nRT brings you the key statements and latest developments.
\n\u201cConstructive\u201d talks
\nPutin\u2019s negotiations with the US envoys were \u201csubstantive, constructive, frank and useful,\u201d Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters following the meeting.
\nHe said the discussions followed a similar pattern to previous exchanges between the Russian president and American negotiators.\u00a0
\nWitkoff hails progress in peace efforts\u00a0
\nThe US special envoy welcomed the resumption of trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, pointing to plans for another round of talks.\u00a0
\n\u201cI think progress was made today, yes,\u201d Witkoff told reporters before departing Moscow following his meeting with Putin.\u00a0
\nHe noted that few had expected the trilateral format to resume in Abu Dhabi, but the negotiations did restart and another meeting has already been scheduled. \u201cThis is what President Trump wants to see,\u201d he added.
\nKey positions on European security\u00a0
\nPutin reaffirmed Moscow\u2019s proposals for a new European security architecture, including an end to NATO expansion, restrictions on the deployment of weapons systems threatening Russia near its borders, and a return to the military bloc\u2019s force configuration at the time of the 1997 Russia-NATO Founding Act, Ushakov said.\u00a0
\nMoscow considers the existing European security system ineffective and is ready to begin talks with Washington on a new long-term arrangement, which it hopes European countries will also support, he added.\u00a0
\nEuropean governments have been seeking to join the negotiations but should decide whether they want peace or a continuation of the conflict, according to the Kremlin aide, who said that their actions so far suggest the latter.\u00a0
\nForeign troops in Ukraine would mean \u2018endless war\u2019 \u00a0
\nPlans by the European \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine after the conflict would risk prolonging the fighting indefinitely, Ushakov said.\u00a0
\n\u201cThis is a recipe for an endless war,\u201d he said.\u00a0
\nZelensky unwilling to end conflict
\nPutin and the US envoys also discussed Vladimir Zelensky\u2019s recent remarks about President Donald Trump.\u00a0
\nAccording to Ushakov, Kiev is reluctant to end the conflict because a settlement would require new elections, potentially threatening Zelensky\u2019s hold on power.\u00a0
\nMajor prisoner exchange\u00a0
\nMoscow and Washington backed a proposal discussed during the Abu Dhabi negotiations for what could become a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
\nThe terms are still being negotiated, Ushakov said, expressing hope that Kiev would honor the agreement reached in principle.
\nRussia and Ukraine have conducted 35 prisoner exchanges since 2025, involving approximately 5,000 people from each side, according to Ushakov.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Kremlin has described the meeting as constructive and said Moscow and Washington had agreed to continue diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t