Russia–US Ukraine Talks Advance as Putin Backs Parts of US Plan, Presses Donbas Claim

Russia and the United States are reporting forward movement in their ongoing peace discussions regarding the war in Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, both sides have made tangible progress and Moscow remains willing to continue negotiations with the current U.S. team.

President Vladimir Putin held five hours of talks with two U.S. envoys on Tuesday night. During the meeting, he agreed to certain portions of a U.S.-drafted peace proposal, while rejecting other elements. Following the discussions, Putin reiterated Russia's longstanding demand for full control over Ukraine's Donbas region, warning that Russian forces would seize the area by force if Ukrainian troops did not withdraw.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been attempting to broker an end to the conflict, described the latest engagement as "reasonably good," though he noted that the future direction of the peace process remains uncertain.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who participated in the talks, told the Zvezda news outlet on Friday that progress was visible in the main negotiations involving Putin. Calling the developments "encouraging," he added that Moscow was prepared to continue working with the current American delegation. State news agency RIA also quoted Ushakov as saying that Russia was awaiting "the reaction of our American colleagues" to Tuesday's discussions.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is pushing for an immediate ceasefire and accuses Putin of pretending to pursue peace while continuing military operations. Kyiv also fears that Trump and Putin could ultimately reach an agreement that imposes extremely unfavourable conditions on Ukraine, potentially increasing its vulnerability to further Russian aggression. Ukraine wants "real peace, not appeasement," its foreign minister stated on Thursday.

Russia maintains that it is committed to ending the war through negotiations but insists that it will pursue its objectives militarily if diplomacy does not succeed.