Vladimir Putin used a blend of charm, calculated stalling and pointed threats to show U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner exactly where Russia stands on peace with Ukraine.
Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy, and Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, enjoyed a stroll through Moscow and lunch at an upscale restaurant Tuesday while the Russian president made them wait several hours for a meeting at the Kremlin about ending the war in Ukraine.
While the Americans killed time, Putin addressed the press at an investment forum where he blamed Europe for thwarting the peace process and hinted at future escalation. “We’re not planning to wage a war with Europe, but if Europe decides to start a war, we’re ready right now,” he said.
Unsurprisingly for those who know the Russian president’s habit of keeping foreign dignitaries twiddling their thumbs, Tuesday’s talks began almost three hours later than the 5 p.m. start time initially indicated by Putin’s spokesperson.
A video posted by the Kremlin showed Putin welcoming Witkoff and Kushner and asking whether they were enjoying Moscow, to which Witkoff replied: “It’s a magnificent city.”
Discussions in the Russian capital on the almost four-year war on Ukraine didn’t conclude until long after midnight local time.
In a post on X, Putin’s foreign policy adviser Kirill Dmitriev, who was present at the talks, called the meeting “productive.”
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, who was also present, described the conversation as “useful, constructive, and highly substantive,” but added there was still a “lot of work” to be done.
“We’re not further from peace that’s for sure,” he said.
According to Ushakov, Putin flagged “the destructive actions of the European side” — an indication he may try to pin the blame for any failure to reach a peace deal on the EU, which was notably left out of the meeting.
Trump’s latest push to inject new momentum into a ceasefire effort — with a plan that, in its original 28-point leaked version, heavily favored Moscow —has ramped up pressure on Kyiv and alarmed European officials.
Among other things, it asks Ukraine to give up territory in the country’s east not yet occupied by Russian forces and to formalize that it will not seek to join NATO.
Though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the talks as confronting Ukraine with possibly the “most difficult moment in history,” he has signaled he is open to dialogue.
Less clear is what Trump is requiring from Russia, or what Moscow is willing to concede.
In the days preceding the Moscow talks, Putin showed no signs of straying from his demand of Ukraine’s effective capitulation, denouncing Zelenskyy as an illegitimate leader with whom he could not strike a deal.
In fact, neither earlier talks in Istanbul, an August summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin or five previousvisits to Moscow by Witkoff have resulted in the Kremlin softening its stance or its bellicose rhetoric.
In comments to POLITICO, State Duma politician Pyotr Tolstoy echoed that inflexible position, saying that “no decisions will be made that would undermine Russia’s security. This must be clearly understood.”
So far, there is no sign that Tuesday’s talks will prompt any shift in Moscow’s position.
“No doubt Putin believes he has laid everything out once again, and now it’s up to the others to decide among themselves whether they want to end the war,” says Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of political consultancy R.Politik.
Putin is ready for peace, she says. “Just on his terms.”
