A fresh attempt to end the war in Ukraine has been dealt a blow after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected a revised peace plan following a 5-hour meeting with US representatives that failed to deliver a breakthrough.
The high-stakes talks, attended by President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, came after Putin accused European nations of trying to derail peace efforts with "absolutely unacceptable" demands, reports The Times.
In comments that offered scant hope of progress towards peace, Putin declared Russia was prepared to fight a war in Europe if provoked.
"We are not planning to go to war with Europe," he said. "But if Europe wants to and starts, we are ready right now."
Witkoff and Kushner were forced to wait several hours before being granted a meeting with the Russian leader, which began around 7pm local time and ended around midnight, according to the Kremlin.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as "useful, constructive and meaningful" but admitted: "We are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine, and there is much work to do."
While "there were some points we could agree on," Ushakov said Putin "did not hide our critical, even negative, stance on a number of proposals." Both sides agreed not to disclose specifics of the negotiations.
Speaking from the White House, Trump labeled the Ukraine conflict a "mess", noting that "our people are over right now in Russia" trying to "get that settled."
Witkoff and Kushner are set to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the talks during a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.
Earlier, Putin appeared to reject the revised peace deal, accusing Ukraine's European allies of having "aimed solely at one thing — to completely block the entire peace process and put forward demands that are absolutely unacceptable for Russia".
He also threatened to target commercial ships belonging to Ukraine's allies after a Russian-flagged vessel carrying sunflower oil was struck by a drone near the Turkish coast.
Putin again asserted victory in the fight for Pokrovsk after Moscow released footage allegedly showing troops raising the Russian flag in the eastern Ukrainian town's central square - a claim disputed by Kyiv.
Accusing Putin of attempting to sway peace negotiations, Ukraine insisted the town remained under its control. However, Putin maintained Pokrovsk was in Russian hands, inviting foreign journalists to "visit the city of Krasnoarmeysk and see with their own eyes," using the town's Russian name.
He called it a "good foothold for solving all the tasks set at the beginning of the special military operation."
Despite his earlier comments seemingly rejecting Ukraine's counter-offer to the 28-point peace plan secretly negotiated in Miami last October, Putin adopted a more conciliatory approach during the Kremlin meeting with Witkoff and Kushner.
In opening remarks captured by Russian state TV, Putin said he was "pleased" to see the American negotiators, noting: "You've had a walk around the city. It's a magnificent city."
