President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy, in Moscow on Tuesday as the United States steps up efforts to secure an agreement to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.
According to senior U.S. and European officials, Mr. Witkoff will present a revised version of a U.S.-backed peace proposal shaped during recent negotiations with Ukrainian representatives. Earlier drafts of the plan faced strong criticism from Kyiv and several European capitals, who believed the proposal too closely reflected Russia’s long-standing demands since its 2022 invasion.
Mr. Witkoff’s latest visit, his sixth trip to Russia this year, comes just days after American and Ukrainian delegations met in Miami to resolve outstanding disagreements. Officials from both sides described the talks as “constructive,” though several points remain unresolved, including territorial guarantees and political security provisions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, working to bolster diplomatic support while resisting pressure to concede further, held a meeting in Paris on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr. Zelensky is scheduled to travel to Ireland on Tuesday for additional consultations with European partners concerned about the long-term implications of a premature settlement.
Behind the scenes, the Trump administration has continued urging Ukraine to accept a negotiated agreement despite sharp resistance in Kyiv. Russian officials, emboldened by incremental gains on the battlefield and a nearly 10-hour aerial assault launched across Ukraine last week, have insisted the United States must push Kyiv harder if meaningful progress is to be made.
Moscow’s position remains largely unchanged: Ukraine must surrender its remaining territory in the Donbas region, renounce its NATO ambitions, and formalize protections for the Russian language, culture, and the Russian Orthodox Church, demands Kyiv has repeatedly rejected as infringements on its sovereignty.
Kremlin aides have privately expressed skepticism that any deal can be reached unless Ukraine agrees to what Russia calls “non-negotiable security conditions,” effectively ensuring Moscow’s long-term influence over Ukrainian political life. Ukrainian officials, however, argue that accepting such terms would undermine the country’s independence and reward Russian aggression.
As diplomatic efforts resume in Moscow, European leaders remain divided over how far to push Kyiv toward compromise, while Washington attempts to balance its strategic goals against growing domestic pressure to scale back its commitments in Eastern Europe.
Whether the latest U.S. proposal will bring the two sides closer to a cease-fire remains unclear. For now, all parties acknowledge that significant gaps persist, and that the next few weeks will be critical in determining whether a credible peace framework can emerge.
