Putin to meet US envoy in Moscow on Ukraine deal

New Delhi, Dec 2: Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday, amid what the White House has described as “very optimistic” prospects for progress toward a Ukraine peace agreement.

The BBC reported that Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and an informal diplomatic adviser, is also expected to join the talks. The meeting follows two days of negotiations in Florida between Ukrainian officials and the US team, during which Kyiv reviewed revisions to a Washington-backed peace proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the discussions “constructive” while acknowledging that several “tough issues” remain.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the Putin–Witkoff meeting is scheduled for the second half of Tuesday.

Speaking in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, Zelensky reiterated that any agreement must safeguard Ukraine’s sovereignty and include “strong security guarantees”. He said the territorial question remains the hardest point, as Russia is pressing for Ukraine to give up parts of its east , demands Kyiv has repeatedly rejected, reports BBC.

The diplomatic push comes as Russia claims new gains on the battlefield, saying its forces have captured Pokrovsk in the east and Vovchansk near the Russian border. Ukrainian officials did not confirm the claims, and independent monitoring groups reported that fighting was ongoing in both areas.

Ahead of his trip to Moscow, Witkoff also met UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Zelensky and Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov. Several European leaders joined the Zelensky-Macron talks virtually to assess the latest developments. Putin said last week that he had reviewed the US draft and described it as a possible “basis” for a settlement, though Kremlin officials later signalled that Russia had yet to decide whether it could accept the revised version agreed with Kyiv and European partners.