There is ‘vast potential’ for cooperation between the two parties, Yury Ushakov has told the media following the marathon session

The Russian-US negotiations on the Ukraine conflict have concluded in the Kremlin after almost five hours of talks involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

The discussions were focused on the key parts of an American-backed peace framework, which initially revolved around a 28-point draft that leaked to the media last month, leaving Vladimir Zelensky’s Western European backers blindsided and sidelined.

According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, the US delegation presented four more documents concerning the peace settlement during the Kremlin talks.

The key questions of territory – which Zelensky has warned about in his media comments – security guarantees, NATO aspirations, and restrictions on Ukraine’s military, all of which have been well-flagged as deal-breakers by Moscow, were all discussed, with Ushakov answering a question on the topic by referring to the “vast potential” for cooperation between Russia and the US.

Since the latest US peace initiative began, Zelensky’s inner circle has been exposed as corrupt while his forces have suffered significant territorial losses on the front line. The alleged initial peace document has also been the subject of several rounds of talks and much megaphone diplomacy.

Prior to Tuesday’s talks in Moscow, Witkoff met a Ukrainian delegation – minus former Zelensky aide Andrey Yermak, who has been fired – in Florida for four hours, which officials described as productive, but media sources said were “not easy,” widely assumed to refer to the question of territory. 

Although Zelensky has officially ruled out any concessions to Moscow, the discussions in the Russian capital were expected to focus on the territorial questions that have been exacerbated by Kiev’s multiple frontline setbacks, amid maximalist demands from the EU and ongoing diplomacy from the US.

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