Russia’s president used a Tuesday appearance in Moscow to insist that the Kremlin seeks no confrontation with European capitals, while warning that if Europe pushes for war, Russia is “ready right now to fight.” He charged that European governments have put forward terms for a settlement in Ukraine that Moscow rejects out of hand.
Vladimir Putin also accused European backers of Kyiv of derailing Washington’s diplomatic push to end the conflict, leveling the claim just before his scheduled Kremlin talks with special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “They don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war,” he declared, contending that repeated revisions to peace outlines have been loaded with “demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia,” which he said were crafted to “block the entire peace process” — all so that Moscow could then be blamed. “That’s their goal,” he said.
These remarks fit neatly into the narrative Russia has advanced since President Donald Trump returned to office and launched direct conversations with Moscow, portraying Europe’s support for Ukraine as the main obstacle to reaching a deal.
Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow carrying a still-developing framework the U.S. hopes could bring the nearly four-year-old war to a close. Their visit overlapped with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to Ireland, part of his rapid tour through European countries that have kept Ukraine’s defenses afloat.
Speaking alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Zelenskyy said he expected quick word from the U.S. envoys on whether negotiations might advance, noting that Trump’s original 28-point plan was trimmed to 20 points during Sunday’s discussions in Florida between American and Ukrainian teams. “They want to report right after that meeting to us, specifically. The future and the next steps depend on these signals. Such steps will change throughout today, even hour by hour, I believe,” he said. If the outcome looks fair, he added, “we then might meet very soon, meet with the American delegation.”
Zelenskyy stressed that time is lethal: “There is a lot of dialogue, but we need results. Our people are dying every day.” He reiterated, “I am ready … to meet with President Trump. It all depends on today’s talks.”
Before heading to their Kremlin appointment, Witkoff and Kushner were spotted leaving a Moscow restaurant midday Tuesday. The White House has been intensifying efforts after months of stalled progress, dispatching senior officials to pursue momentum for a deal. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kushner will join the session with Putin and that the meeting — involving only Witkoff, Kushner, and a U.S. interpreter — will last “as long as needed.”
Diplomacy has been unfolding on twin tracks, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio engaging Ukrainian negotiators while Witkoff and Kushner handle the Moscow channel. Zelenskyy noted he had debriefed with Kyiv’s delegation returning from Florida, and Rubio said that while those talks were productive, “there’s more work to be done.”
Zelenskyy said the Florida meeting was shaped by a joint document drafted earlier in Geneva, describing that text as now “finalized,” without elaborating. He also wrote on Telegram that Ukrainian diplomats were ensuring European voices remain “substantially involved” in decisions, warning that Russia is mounting disinformation campaigns to skew the process. “Ukrainian intelligence will provide partners with the information we have about Russia’s true intentions and its attempts to use diplomatic efforts as cover to ease sanctions and block important collective European decisions,” he said.
During his meetings in Dublin — his first official visit to Ireland — Zelenskyy spoke with political leaders and lawmakers. Ireland, militarily neutral and outside NATO, has nonetheless provided nonlethal aid, and more than 100,000 Ukrainian refugees have settled there since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.
Despite the flurry of diplomacy this week, major unknowns remain. Key issues such as territorial control are still unresolved, and European officials caution that any path to peace will be slow and fraught. Europe, concerned about Russia’s long-term ambitions and searching for ways to keep Ukraine funded past this year, is also pressing for a stronger role after being sidelined by Washington. Security guarantees for Ukraine are under discussion as well.
On Monday, Zelenskyy was in Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron said the two leaders held a call with Witkoff, along with discussions involving eight other European states, top EU officials, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Macron predicted “crucial discussions” in the coming days between Washington and its partners. His comments came after Sunday’s U.S.–Ukraine meeting, which Rubio also described as productive.
Diplomats continue wrestling with whether Kyiv should be expected to concede territory and how any future security architecture could protect Ukraine — both fundamental sticking points. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, is confronting one of the bleakest phases of the war: fending off Russia on the battlefield, contending with a corruption scandal shaking his government, and scrambling to secure financial lifelines.
Late Monday, Moscow claimed that its forces had seized Pokrovsk, a strategically important city in the Donetsk region. Zelenskyy countered in Paris that fighting remained active there. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s general staff dismissed the Russian assertion as propaganda, saying on Facebook that the army was preparing additional supply routes to support troops defending the area.
{Matzav.com}
