Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that parts of a U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin, signaling that any deal remains distant. Putin made the remarks ahead of a state visit to India and in comments quoted by Russian state agencies Tass and RIA Novosti.
U.S. President Donald Trump has launched an intensive diplomatic push to stop the fighting, the most active since Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly four years ago. But the effort has run into difficult, unresolved issues—most notably whether Ukraine would have to cede territory to Russia and how Kyiv could be guaranteed protection from future Russian aggression.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner spent five hours in the Kremlin on Tuesday meeting with Putin and other Russian officials. Putin called the talks “necessary” and “useful,” but “difficult work,” saying the sides “had to go through each point” of the U.S. plan and that some provisions were ones “we can’t agree to.” He declined to specify which elements were unacceptable, and other officials involved did not provide details.
Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow convinced Putin wants to find an end to the war, adding that their impression was “very strongly that he’d like to make a deal.” Witkoff and Kushner were reported to be meeting later Thursday in Miami with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, for further talks.
European leaders, who have been largely left out of direct U.S.-Russia-Ukraine engagement, accused Putin of feigning interest in the U.S. initiative. French President Emmanuel Macron met China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing to seek Chinese pressure on Russia for a ceasefire; Xi did not directly respond to Macron’s request but said broadly that “China supports all efforts that work towards peace.”
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 girl, and damaging more than 40 residential buildings, a school and gas pipes, city officials said. A 6-year-old girl died in Kherson after being wounded the previous day, regional officials reported.
Russia’s assault also forced the Kherson Thermal Power Plant to shut down after days of drone and artillery attacks, cutting heat for more than 40,000 residents; authorities established tents to provide warmth and device charging while seeking alternate heating sources. Odesa was struck by drones, wounding six and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure, regional officials said.
Ukrainian officials reported that Russia fired two ballistic missiles and launched 138 drones overnight. In Russia-occupied parts of Kherson region, Moscow-installed leader Vladimir Saldo said a Ukrainian drone strike on a vehicle killed two men and wounded a 68-year-old woman.
Putin said it was premature to disclose specifics of the negotiations, warning that early disclosure “could simply disrupt the working regime” of the peace effort.
