Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that portions of a U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to Moscow, indicating a negotiated settlement is still far off. He made the remarks ahead of a state visit to India, comments that were reported by Russian state outlets Tass and RIA Novosti.
U.S. President Donald Trump has mounted an intensive diplomatic push—his most active effort since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago—to try to halt the fighting. But the initiative has run into thorny, unresolved questions, chiefly whether Ukraine would have to cede territory to Russia and how Kyiv could be safeguarded against future aggression.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner spent about five hours at the Kremlin on Tuesday meeting with Putin and other Russian officials. Putin described the meeting as “necessary” and “useful” but also called it “difficult work,” saying negotiators had to examine each element of the U.S. plan and that some provisions were unacceptable. He declined to identify which points were in dispute, and other officials did not disclose details.
Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow with the impression that Putin wanted to find an end to the war, adding that they felt “very strongly that he’d like to make a deal.” The two envoys were reported to be meeting later Thursday in Miami with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, for follow-up discussions.
European leaders, largely sidelined from direct U.S.-Russia-Ukraine talks, accused Putin of putting on a show of engagement. French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Beijing to press Chinese President Xi Jinping for pressure on Russia toward a ceasefire; Xi did not directly accede to Macron’s request but said broadly that China supports efforts that work toward peace.
Meanwhile, fighting continued on the ground. Russian strikes overnight into Thursday hit civilian areas across Ukraine. A missile struck Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday night, wounding six people, including a 3-year-old, and damaging more than 40 residential buildings, a school and gas lines, city officials said. A 6-year-old girl died in Kherson after injuries sustained the previous day, regional authorities reported.
Sustained attacks forced the Kherson Thermal Power Plant to shut down following days of drone and artillery strikes, cutting heat for more than 40,000 residents; authorities set up tents to provide warmth and charging while seeking alternative heating. Odesa was struck by drones, wounding six and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure, officials said.
Ukrainian authorities reported that Russia fired two ballistic missiles and launched 138 drones overnight. In Russia-occupied parts of Kherson region, Moscow-installed official Vladimir Saldo said a Ukrainian drone strike on a vehicle killed two men and wounded a 68-year-old woman.
Putin said it would be premature to reveal negotiation specifics, warning that early disclosure “could simply disrupt the working regime” of the peace effort.