Intense talks in the Kremlin between Russians and Americans, which began when it was already 8pm in Moscow, to try to put an end to the war in Ukraine. But Vladimir Putin made his position clear before receiving Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner: Russia rejects as “unacceptable” the Europeans’ proposals for changes to Donald Trump’s peace plan, because they have “only one objective, that of blocking the entire peace process” pursued by the American president.
“If Europe wants war, we are ready”, thundered the Tsar before meeting the Americans, also attacking the authorities in Kiev who “seem to live on another planet”, refusing to recognize the situation unfavorable to them on the battlefield. Not even Trump’s latest statements justify optimism. The war in Ukraine is a “disaster,” he said.
“Our people are in Russia to resolve the situation, it’s not an easy situation, let me tell you,” the head of the White House acknowledged. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that some of Kiev’s allies “are tired” and he fears that Washington may lose interest in the negotiations. “Russia’s goal is to make America lose interest in this situation,” the Ukrainian leader said.
The US special envoy Witkoff, accompanied by the tycoon Kushner’s son-in-law, arrived in Moscow in the early afternoon, and were immediately taken over by Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s advisor for foreign investments with whom Witkoff himself has established a close relationship for months and whom he had received in Miami at the end of October to discuss the peace proposals for Ukraine. A lunch in a renowned restaurant, a visit to the Bolshoi Theater and a walk on Red Square preceded the discussions in the Kremlin, where Putin was joined by Dmitriev himself and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov. Moscow’s line is clear, strengthening its positions on the ground and having announced the conquest of the strategic city of Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, a few hours earlier, denied by Kiev. “Russia – said Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov – remains open to peace negotiations”. “But through negotiations – he added – we must achieve our objectives and eliminate the initial causes of the military operation we started.”
These objectives are not only territorial, because Moscow never ceases to insist on the need for Ukraine to renounce joining NATO and any military alliance with the West, because the presence of foreign bases and troops would be seen as a threat by Russia. The positions taken instead by the Europeans, in particular by the Coalition of the Willing, among which there continues to be talk of sending “reassurance” troops, demonstrates, according to Putin, that Western Europe has not given up on the dream of “inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia”. This shows that these countries “are still in favor of war”, accused the head of the Kremlin, before issuing a very harsh warning. “We will not fight with Europe, as I have already said a hundred times – he said – but if Europe suddenly decides to fight and starts hostilities, we are ready to respond immediately, and no one should doubt it.”
Zelensky, visiting Ireland today, said Witkoff and Kushner were always “welcome” in Kiev to report on talks to the Kremlin. While an Axios journalist reported that the two American envoys should meet Zelensky himself in “a European country”. Perhaps already tomorrow in Brussels, a Ukrainian source hinted to AFP. The Ukrainian leader judged this as “one of the most difficult and at the same time most optimistic moments” for the prospects of peace, and announced that the latest draft of the plan, therefore the one presented to Putin, was reduced to 20 points compared to the initial 28, after the talks between US and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva and Florida. Nothing is known about the contents. But Zelensky stressed that “some things still need to be resolved.” The thorniest issues always seem to be those of the territories and future security guarantees for Ukraine, especially if it does not join NATO. A problem, the latter, which according to the secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, “will be treated separately” in a negotiation that “will obviously include NATO”. However, Rutte clarified further, “you can join NATO if there is consensus among all the allies, and as far as Ukraine is concerned, this consensus does not exist at the moment.”