Tuesday's Moscow meeting between Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin lasted nearly five hours.
According to Yuri Ushakov, a close advisor to Putin, the parties failed to reach a compromise. Ushakov states that territorial issues were among the issues discussed.
"Some of the proposed wording does not suit us," he said shortly after the meeting.
The question of whether Ukraine should be able to join NATO is one of the most important issues, he says later in the day. During the talks, Russia's negotiating position was strengthened by Russian military advances in Ukraine, he claims.
Our Russian soldiers, through their military exploits, have contributed to making our foreign partners' assessments of the paths to a peace solution more appropriate.
Rubio: Some progress
A planned meeting in Brussels between US envoys and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been cancelled, the Kyiv Post reports. According to the newspaper, Witkoff and Kushner had been invited to brief Zelensky on the meeting with Putin, but the Kremlin, according to Russian state media, said the Americans had “promised” to fly directly home to Washington, DC.
Instead, Ukrainian peace negotiator Rustem Umerov will hold talks with European allies in Brussels, Zelensky said on Wednesday. Umerov and his colleague Andriy Hnatov will then travel to the United States to meet with US envoys.
"What we've tried to do, and what I think we've made some progress on, is figure out what the Ukrainians can live with that gives them security guarantees for the future," he told Fox News.
According to Rubio, the US hopes that the compromise will allow Ukraine to "not only rebuild its economy, but to prosper as a country."
Kremlin: Ready for more talks
Ukraine and parts of Europe dismiss Russia's intentions after the Moscow meeting. Putin should "stop wasting the world's time," claims Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, while a number of foreign ministers at today's NATO meeting in Brussels note that Russia refuses to budge an inch.
The meeting in the Kremlin was preceded by intense diplomatic overtures and warnings. Shortly before the meeting, Putin claimed that Russia is “ready” if Europe seeks war.
The path forward is unclear. There is reportedly no planned meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin stated, according to AFP, that Russia is "ready for as many Ukraine talks" with the United States as needed.
