‘Putin wants to end war’: Trump on US delegation meeting Russian President on Ukraine peace plan

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the US delegation had a “very good” talk with Russian President on the Ukraine peace proposal, which gave the “impression” that Vladimir Putin “would like to end the war.”

On Wednesday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law held five-hour-long talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The talks were centred on ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict that started in February 2022 .

“Putin had a very good meeting yesterday with Jared Kushner and with Steve Whitkoff. What comes out of that meeting, I can’t tell you because it does take two to tango.” Trump told reporters in Oval Office. “He (Putin) would like to end the war, that was their impression”, he added.

Trump says the terms for a settlement in Ukraine are far worse now than they were during his Oval Office meeting with Zelensky in February

“I said, you have no cards. That was the time to settle… But they, in their wisdom, decided not to do that. They have a lot of… pic.twitter.com/q0MnHSwKSA

— The Other Side Media (@TheOtherSideRu) December 3, 2025

However, senior Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday that the meeting was one of the most extensive exchanges between Washington and Moscow since the conflict began, but “no compromise” was reached on territorial issues.

He noted that both delegations reviewed potential paths toward a settlement, but key disputes remained unresolved. “We are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine, and there is much work to be done,” he said, adding that discussions continued late into the night.

He confirmed that while fresh proposals were presented by the American side, major sticking points persisted around Ukrainian territory. Ushakov said senior Russian officials, including investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, were present for the talks, which examined multiple options for ending hostilities.

Ushakov stressed that the discussions would remain private. “The discussion was confidential,” he said. “We agreed not to disclose the substance of the negotiations.”

According to him, meaningful progress has yet to be achieved, but diplomatic engagement “continues”. The Kremlin adviser also said Putin asked Witkoff to pass “a number of important political signals” directly to President Trump.

“They will present their findings to Trump and contact us,” he said, indicating that further communication between the two governments is planned.

Ahead of meeting the US delegation, Putin criticised European involvement in the peace process, accusing EU governments of submitting proposals “aimed at only one thing: to block the entire peace process altogether”. (ANI)