Moscow, December 4, 2025 – The Kremlin announced on Wednesday that President Vladimir Putin has accepted portions of a U.S.-proposed peace framework for ending the war in Ukraine while rejecting others, describing the process as a “normal working process of finding a compromise.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Russia is ready to meet with American negotiators “as many times as necessary” to reach an agreement.
The statement followed a five-hour meeting that extended into the early hours of December 3 between Putin and a U.S. delegation led by President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Peskov clarified that earlier reports claiming Putin had outright rejected the American proposals were inaccurate. “A direct exchange of views took place yesterday for the first time,” he told reporters. “Some things were accepted, some things were marked as unacceptable — this is a normal working process.”
Peskov expressed gratitude to President Trump for his personal involvement but stressed that Moscow would refrain from providing a running commentary on the talks, noting that excessive publicity could harm the negotiations. He confirmed that follow-up discussions are now taking place at the expert level to lay the groundwork for possible future high-level meetings. “Work is currently being carried out at a working expert level,” Peskov said. “It is at the expert level that certain results should be achieved that will then become the basis for contacts at the highest level.”
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov earlier revealed that Russia had received an initial 27-point set of U.S. proposals followed by four additional documents, all of which were reviewed during the Moscow talks. While the Kremlin has not disclosed which elements were accepted or rejected, sources indicate that potential points of agreement may include phased sanctions relief and international ceasefire monitoring mechanisms, whereas territorial issues — particularly Russia’s claimed control over Crimea and parts of Donbas — remain major obstacles.
The negotiations have been complicated by sharp reactions from Ukraine and European governments. A leaked 28-point U.S. draft proposal in late November, reportedly containing 28 points, caused alarm in Kyiv and European capitals because it appeared to concede to many of Moscow’s core demands, including recognition of annexed territories, severe limits on Ukraine’s future military size, and a permanent block on NATO membership. European leaders quickly drafted a counter-proposal, and subsequent U.S.-Ukrainian talks produced what both sides described as an “updated and refined peace framework.”
Hours before the Moscow meeting, President Putin publicly accused European countries of deliberately trying to derail the peace process by inserting “absolutely unacceptable” conditions into the discussions. Speaking at an investment forum in Moscow on December 2, he claimed certain European powers “have no peace agenda — they are on the side of war” and were attempting to shift responsibility for any failure onto Russia.
From Washington, President Trump described the debriefing from his envoys as “reasonably good” and said Putin had expressed a desire to “want to make a deal,” though he acknowledged significant uncertainties remain. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while cautious, has recently struck a more optimistic tone, telling lawmakers in Ireland on December 2 that Ukraine is “closer to peace than ever before” and that a “real chance” for agreement now exists — provided any deal respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence.
European leaders have responded with a mixture of cautious hope and continued skepticism. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte dismissed Putin’s threats against Europe as “Kremlin claptrap” and reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to defend its members. Meanwhile, the European Commission advanced a major new financial package on Wednesday, proposing €90 billion in loans backed by frozen Russian assets to help cover two-thirds of Ukraine’s budget needs for 2026–2027, allowing Kyiv to negotiate from a stronger position.
Analysts note that Russia’s battlefield momentum — with forces advancing at their fastest rate since 2022 and recently capturing the key Donbas logistics hub of Pokrovsk — gives Moscow additional leverage. Putin’s willingness to accept some U.S. proposals appears tactical, aimed at exploiting perceived American urgency for a quick diplomatic victory while maintaining Russia’s core red lines: no NATO expansion, recognition of annexed territories, and long-term limits on Ukraine’s military capabilities.
For Ukraine, the diplomatic flurry presents a delicate balancing act. While public exhaustion from nearly four years of war has grown, polls continue to show strong opposition to territorial concessions. Zelenskyy has shifted from outright rejection of the original leaked draft to pragmatic engagement, and Kyiv has accepted an invitation for further talks in Washington in the coming weeks.
As expert-level working groups begin their deliberations, the international community awaits whether quiet, technical negotiations can bridge the remaining gaps. Frontline fighting continues unabated: Ukrainian drones struck a Russian oil pipeline serving Hungary and Slovakia on December 3, while Moscow reported repelling new incursions near Kharkiv. With winter tightening its grip, blackouts worsening, and uncertainty over future Western aid, the human and economic toll mounts daily.
The door to a negotiated settlement has cracked open wider than at any point in the past year, yet the path to a durable peace remains narrow, contested, and fraught with risk. As Peskov reiterated, the next phase belongs to the experts — and the results they produce will determine whether high-level summits, and ultimately an end to the war, become possible.
