Top Kremlin negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on his latest diplomatic engagement with his American counterparts, but Moscow has chosen not to disclose the specifics, in line with its usual policy, according to Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Dmitriev met with US special envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and White House official Josh Gruenbaum in Miami this past weekend to discuss Washington’s efforts to mediate a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Peskov refused to confirm or deny media reports that the Russian envoy had brought back four draft documents for Putin’s consideration. The Kremlin maintains that “communicating through the mass media is inadvisable” if it wants negotiations to prove successful, adding that the US is aware of the “main parameters of the Russian position.”
Earlier Wednesday, Vladimir Zelensky shared a 20-point peace framework with the media, which he said his side had discussed with the Americans. The proposal fails to address some key Russian concerns, such as Kiev’s claims to former Ukrainian territories that joined Russia in 2022, and its insistence on maintaining an 800,000-strong standing army supported by NATO nations.
Zelensky floated educational programs promoting tolerance and anti-racism, an apparent reaction to Moscow’s accusations of discriminatory policies, including Kiev’s crackdown on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its spiritual ties with the country’s eastern neighbor and the suppression of the culture and language of Russia in the country.