Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that parts of a U.S. proposal to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to Moscow, signaling that a deal remains distant. Putin made the remarks after a five-hour meeting at the Kremlin on Tuesday with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.
Putin described the talks as necessary and useful but difficult, saying the participants had to examine each point of the U.S. plan in detail. He said Moscow was open to discussing some provisions but could not agree to others and declined to specify which items were acceptable, calling it premature to disclose specifics in a way that might undermine the negotiating process.
White House officials said Witkoff and Kushner left the session with the impression that Putin wanted a deal. The envoys are scheduled to meet Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, in Miami for further talks.
European leaders have criticized being sidelined as U.S. envoys engage directly with Moscow and Kyiv. French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Beijing seeking China’s help in pushing Russia toward a ceasefire. Chinese leader Xi Jinping said China ‘‘supports all efforts that work towards peace,’’ but did not publicly respond to France’s specific appeal.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continued attacks across Ukraine. A missile struck Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday night, injuring six people, including a 3-year-old, and damaging dozens of residential buildings, a school and gas lines, local authorities said. In the southern city of Kherson, a 6-year-old girl who had been wounded in earlier shelling died, regional officials reported.
The Kherson Thermal Power Plant, which provides heat to more than 40,000 residents, shut down after days of strikes by drones and artillery, prompting emergency meetings and temporary measures such as setting up tents where people can warm up and charge devices. Odesa was also hit by drone strikes, wounding six and damaging civilian and energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian and Western officials said Russia launched two ballistic missiles and some 138 drones overnight. Casualties were reported on both sides: in Russia-occupied parts of Kherson region, Moscow-installed official Vladimir Saldo said a Ukrainian drone strike killed two men traveling in a vehicle and wounded a 68-year-old woman.
Negotiators and foreign leaders continue to probe whether the core issues — territorial concessions, security guarantees and enforcement mechanisms — can be reconciled. For now, Putin’s public refusal to accept key points of the U.S. outline underscores the gap that remains between proposals and a final agreement, even as diplomatic activity intensifies.