Putin and Witkoff end ‘constructive and substantial’ Ukraine conflict peace talks after five hours: As it happened
The Russian-US negotiations on the Ukraine conflict have concluded in the Kremlin after almost five hours of talks involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The discussions were focused on the key parts of an American-backed peace framework, which initially revolved around a 28-point draft that leaked to the media last month, leaving Vladimir Zelensky’s Western European backers blindsided and sidelined.
According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the US delegation presented four more documents concerning the peace settlement during the Kremlin talks.
The key questions of territory – which Zelensky has warned about in his media comments – security guarantees, NATO aspirations, and restrictions on Ukraine’s military, all of which have been well-flagged as deal-breakers by Moscow, were all discussed, with Ushakov answering a question on the topic by referring to the “vast potential” for cooperation between Russia and the US.
Since the latest US peace initiative began, Zelensky’s inner circle has been exposed as corrupt while his forces have suffered significant territorial losses on the front line. The alleged initial peace document has also been the subject of several rounds of talks and much megaphone diplomacy.
Prior to Tuesday’s talks in Moscow, Witkoff met a Ukrainian delegation – minus former Zelensky aide Andrey Yermak, who has been fired – in Florida for four hours, which officials described as productive, but media sources said were “not easy,” widely assumed to refer to the question of territory.
Although Zelensky has officially ruled out any concessions to Moscow, the discussions in the Russian capital were expected to focus on the territorial questions that have been exacerbated by Kiev’s multiple frontline setbacks, amid maximalist demands from the EU and ongoing diplomacy from the US.
THIS LIVE FEED HAS ENDED.
02 December 2025
22:19 GMTThe next summit between Putin and Trump will depend on the progress future talks achieve, Ushakov has said.
“A possible meeting at the presidential level will depend on how much progress we can make along this line,” he told journalists. “We will continue [talks] at the level of representatives and assistants.”
- 22:16 GMT
- 22:10 GMT
Ushakov has told the press that his American counterparts said they would be traveling back to the US and not through western Europe.
- 22:00 GMT
No compromises found as of yet, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said after the meeting which lasted almost five hours. A meeting betweenPutin and Trump is not currently planned, he added.
“We discussed the substance, not specific wording and solutions. The parties see enormous potential for cooperation,” Ushakov said.
- 21:47 GMT
Witkoff has arrived at the US Embassy in Moscow following the negotiations, according to RIA Novosti.
- 21:44 GMT
Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev has tweeted his thoughts on the five hours of talks.
Productive 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/YlkqF0b7tr
— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) December 2, 2025 - 21:34 GMT
The negotiations between Putin, Witkoff and Kushner are now finished, according to RT reporters in the Kremlin.
- 21:24 GMT
“I think the longer they talk the better it is,” director of international affairs, former adviser to the Bush and Clinton administrations, Steve Gill, has told RT.
The longer the meeting is, the more we can hope that it is actually aimed at solving all the issues in the Ukrainian conflict, Gill said. He added that the meeting clearly shows that Europe’s point of view doesn’t matter anymore.
Meanwhile, it’s been four hours since the beginning of the talks. Russian journalists are waiting for their conclusion.
- 21:14 GMT
The Ukraine conflict is not “an easy situation” to settle, President Donald Trump has said.
“Our people are over in Russia right now to see if we can get it settled. Not an easy situation, let me tell you. What a mess,” he said in a cabinet meeting.
“It’s a war that never would have happened if I were President.”
🇺🇸🇷🇺🇺🇦 The US is no longer financially involved in the war between Ukraine and Russia, — TrumpUS representatives in Russia are working to determine whether a Ukrainian settlement is possible, we hope for a resolution of the conflict.The states are no longer financially… pic.twitter.com/D292Dj8d05
— The Daily News (@DailyNewsJustIn) December 2, 2025 - 20:21 GMT
Russian media is watching the talks carefully. According to RIA Novosti, RBC and TASS reports, the most important thing you need to know is that talks have been going for over three hours, or as Politika says “the fourth hour of talks has begun.” Its now 23:30 in Moscow but we will be here to the end.
