Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, has accused Vladimir Putin of “wasting the world’s time,” a day after high-stakes discussions between the U.S. and Russia regarding the conflict in Ukraine failed to yield substantive results.
Sybiha stated, “Russia must cease the bloodshed it initiated. Should this not occur, and Putin once again disregards international norms, there must be consequences.”
However, Sybiha noted that the U.S. delegation conveyed to Ukrainian counterparts that the talks held “positive significance for the peace process” and extended an invitation for Ukrainian officials to continue discussions in the U.S. in the near future.
President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, engaged in nearly five hours of discussions with Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday. The White House reported on Wednesday that they had briefed Trump following a “thorough, productive meeting.”
The U.S.-Russia talks followed a series of U.S. meetings with Ukrainian and European leaders, prompted by concerns that a potential agreement might unduly favor Russian demands.
Little concrete progress appears to have been made during the Kremlin talks in reconciling the positions of Moscow and Kyiv.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s senior policy advisor, stated that “no compromise” on ending the war had been reached. He noted, “Some of the U.S. proposals appear more or less acceptable, though they require further discussion,” while adding that others had been openly criticized by Russia’s leader.
While Ushakov did not elaborate, key points of contention between Moscow and Kyiv remain, including the status of Ukrainian territory seized by Russian forces and security guarantees for Ukraine.
Kyiv and its European partners believe that granting Ukraine membership in NATO would be the most effective deterrent against future Russian aggression, even in the event of a peace agreement.
Russia vehemently opposes such a proposal, and Trump has repeatedly signaled his lack of intention to allow Kyiv into the alliance.
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO was a “key question” addressed in Moscow.
Ushakov suggested that the Russian negotiating position had been strengthened due to recent battlefield successes.
He said that Russian soldiers had “helped make the assessments of our foreign partners regarding the paths to a peace settlement more appropriate.”
Prior to the U.S. visit to the Kremlin, Putin was filmed in army fatigues at a Russian command post, receiving briefings from commanders who claimed the conquest of the strategically important city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, as well as other nearby settlements.
Fighting in Pokrovsk is ongoing, and Russian forces do not control the entire city. However, Russian officials clearly believe their message of military gains has resonated with the U.S.
Russian forces have made incremental advances in the east and appear to have intensified their campaign in recent weeks. According to AFP analysis of data from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), they seized approximately 701 sq km (270 sq miles) of Ukrainian territory in November and now control 19.3% of Ukrainian territory.
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that Putin was prepared to continue meeting with the Americans “as many times as needed.”
However, as Russian-American relations appear to become more cordial, the divide between Moscow and Europe widens.
Putin has accused Europe of sabotaging Russia’s relations with the U.S., putting forward demands Moscow could not accept, and obstructing the peace process. Shortly before meeting Witkoff and Kushner, Putin told a forum in Moscow that while he did not desire conflict with Europe, he was “ready for war.”
U.K. government officials dismissed Putin’s message as “yet more Kremlin claptrap from a president who isn’t serious about peace.”
NATO foreign ministers convened in Brussels on Wednesday, and Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that while peace talks were a positive development, it was crucial to put Ukraine in “the strongest position to keep the fight going.”
Meanwhile, EU member states have reached an agreement with members of the European Parliament to achieve full independence from Russian gas by the end of 2027.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed “the dawn of a new era” under an agreement that will ban long-term gas pipeline contracts with Russia from September 2027 and long-term contracts for liquefied natural gas from January 2027.
“We’ve chosen energy security and independence for Europe. No more blackmail. No more market manipulation by Putin. We stand strong with Ukraine,” EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen said on Wednesday.
The Commission is also proposing to raise €90 billion for Ukraine to fund its military and basic services while Russia’s war continues.
The plan would either require Belgium to agree to a “reparations loan” using frozen Russian assets held in a financial institution in Brussels, or the money would be funded by international borrowing.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has welcomed the proposal, which would cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s financing needs for the next two years.
Belgium has resisted the plan to use frozen assets held on its territory, over concerns about legal repercussions from Moscow. The European Central Bank (ECB) has also opposed the idea, saying it would not act as a backstop for a reparations loan.
The proposed loan is smaller than the planned €140 billion loan initially planned and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said “we support this and, of course, take Belgium’s concerns seriously.”
A report into the death of Dawn Sturgess, poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in Salisbury in 2018, will be released on Thursday.
Five hours of talks between Putin and US negotiators were “constructive”, Kremlin officials say, but “a lot of work lies ahead”.
The announcement was made by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at a press conference on Tuesday.
While many Ukrainians believe they have sacrificed too much for their country to lose territory to Russia, others are desperate for the war to end.
The group has been charged under a law which prohibits people from joining foreign armies.