LONDON — The White Home stated it’s “very optimistic” forward of particular envoy Steve Witkoff’s assembly in Moscow on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as U.S. officers proceed their push to finish Russia’s struggle in opposition to Ukraine.
The high-stakes sit-down follows a sequence of conferences between high U.S. and Ukrainian officers, throughout which the events sought to revise the unique peace-plan proposal introduced by the Trump administration to Ukraine final month.
Witkoff and different high U.S. officers — together with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — met on Sunday in Florida with a Ukrainian delegation to find a deal to finish the struggle that Ukraine and Russia would possibly settle for.
On this pool {photograph} distributed by the Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a gathering with Russia’s jail service head on the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 1, 2025.
Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos
“I believe the administration feels very optimistic,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters on Monday, following the Florida assembly. “They’d excellent talks with the Ukrainians in Florida. And now, in fact, Particular Envoy Witkoff is on his solution to Russia.”
The Kremlin on Monday stated a gathering between Witkoff and Putin was scheduled for Tuesday.
“The president will maintain a number of closed-door conferences at this time in preparation for the Russian-American contacts,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed reporters in Moscow on Monday.
There may be little expectation Putin will conform to a deal. The Russian chief has already signaled he won’t compromise, final week making hardline remarks the place he repeated his calls for that Ukraine withdraw from territory he claims and saying it’s “pointless” to barter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends talks in Bishkek on Nov. 26, 2025; and White Home particular envoy Steve Witkoff on the White Home in Washington, on Aug. 26, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov and Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Photos
Putin on Monday claimed without evidence that Russian forces had taken management of two Ukrainian cities the place intense preventing has been occurring for weeks within the jap a part of the nation, a transfer meant maybe to burnish the notion of Russia’s main place on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was circuitously concerned with the talks in Florida, met on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. He landed on Tuesday in Dublin, the place he is anticipated to fulfill with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister.
“Our engagement at this time was substantive and vital — above all, centered on the steps that deliver a simply peace nearer,” he stated on social media after his assembly with Macron. “Now actions are wanted that may actually change the course of the struggle and lead it to a simply peace, to an actual finish — the type we want. And it’s important that every one companions who can genuinely assist accomplish that.”
As Zelenskyy pushed for European unity in opposition to Russian aggression, members of his delegation in Florida had been sending updates on what was being mentioned. He stated on Monday that there have been nonetheless a number of “powerful points” to work by way of within the negotiations, however didn’t elaborate. Ukraine’s potential relinquishment of a few of its territory to Russia was considered a part of the talks.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin, heart left, speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first girl Olena Zelenska as they arrive at Dublin Airport for his go to to Eire, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/AP
Zelenskyy on Monday additionally stated he, Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had once more been briefed by Witkoff and the top of the Kyiv delegation, Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Nationwide Safety and Protection Council.
“Over two very productive days in america, we held many hours of conferences and negotiations,” Umerov stated in a separate social media replace on Monday. “We achieved important progress, though some points nonetheless require additional refinement.”
Talking on the White Home on Monday, Leavitt didn’t element what the U.S. anticipated to occur throughout the negotiations in Moscow, as a substitute deferring to those that can be on the assembly.
“We have put factors on paper. These factors have been very a lot refined,” she stated. “However as for the small print, I’ll let the negotiators negotiate. However we do really feel fairly good, and we’re hopeful that this work can lastly come to an finish.”
ABC Information’ Emily Chang and Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.
