Trump says Putin is ready to end the war, and that the US will soon open a new round of talks with Ukraine

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he believes Russia’s Vladimir Putin is interested in ending the Ukraine war, despite inconclusive talks in Moscow, as U.S. officials prepare for a follow-up meeting with Kyiv’s lead negotiator.

Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner held hours-long discussions with Putin at the Kremlin but failed to secure a breakthrough in Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

After the meeting, the Kremlin said several elements of Washington’s proposal were unacceptable — even though the plan includes Ukraine surrendering parts of the eastern Donbas region it still controls nearly four years into Russia’s invasion.

Asked by an AFP reporter about the talks, Trump said, “They had a reasonably good meeting with President Putin,” later adding that the discussions were “very good.” Still, he cautioned that it was too early to know the outcome, noting that “it takes two to tango.”

Pressed on whether Witkoff and Kushner felt Putin genuinely wanted to end the war, Trump replied: “He would like to end the war. That was their impression.”

Trump also claimed Ukraine “pretty well” supported the U.S. proposal, though he said Kyiv should have accepted it earlier, referencing his tense Oval Office meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in February.

According to two U.S. officials, Witkoff and Kushner are now set to meet Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, in Florida on Thursday to continue the discussions.

Russian position hardens

Despite earlier White House optimism, Moscow said the meeting yielded no compromise and that more negotiations were needed. The Kremlin also stressed that recent Russian battlefield gains had strengthened its hand, while NATO’s relationship with Kyiv remained a central issue.

Russian advances in eastern Ukraine accelerated last month, and Putin has recently said Moscow is ready to keep fighting until it captures all territory it claims unless Kyiv agrees to give it up.

“The progress and nature of the negotiations were influenced by the successes of the Russian army on the battlefield in recent weeks,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters, including AFP.

However, Moscow said it was wrong to suggest Putin had entirely rejected the U.S. proposal, insisting Russia remained open to diplomacy. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Moscow was willing to continue talks “as many times as needed” to achieve a settlement — even as Putin warned this week that Russia was prepared to confront Europe militarily if necessary.

Kyiv urges pressure on Moscow

In his nightly address, Zelensky said a window for peace had emerged but insisted it must be accompanied by sustained pressure on Russia.

“The world now clearly feels that there is an opportunity to end the war, and the current activity in negotiations must be supported by pressure on Russia,” he said.

The renewed diplomatic push comes as NATO commits to purchasing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of U.S. weapons for Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed the ongoing talks but said the alliance must ensure “Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going.”

On the ground, Russian forces continue to push forward against Ukrainian troops that are both outgunned and heavily outnumbered. Earlier this week, Moscow claimed to have seized the strategic city of Pokrovsk, though a Ukrainian unit still fighting there said urban battles were continuing.

European governments, wary of being sidelined, have been trying in recent weeks to amend the U.S. proposal to avoid a deal they fear might pressure Kyiv into capitulation.