Ushakov Provides Details on Negotiations Between Putin, Witkoff, and Kushner

On December 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with U.S. Special Envoy Stu Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The meeting lasted for nearly five hours. Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the President of Russia, commented on the results, as reported by Kommersant.

Ushakov noted that Putin's meeting with the American representatives was very useful, constructive, and informative, lasting “not five minutes, but five hours,” as stated by the Kremlin spokesperson.

According to Ushakov, the conversation began with the representatives of Donald Trump conveying “greetings and best wishes” to Vladimir Putin. The President relayed not only “friendly greetings” to Donald Trump but also “a number of important political signals, which his interlocutors noted,” he emphasized.

The main topic of discussion was the long-term peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis. The parties addressed the essence of the American proposals previously submitted to Moscow rather than specific formulations.

Ushakov indicated that the Russian president expressed agreement with certain points while also criticizing and opposing several other American proposals. However, no compromise has yet been reached on the key issues.

The Kremlin spokesperson noted that the discussion particularly focused on territorial issues, which Russia does not see as solvable without its involvement. Some American proposals on this subject were considered potentially acceptable.

He also mentioned that the prospects for economic cooperation between Russia and the U.S. were discussed, but their implementation would require genuine commitment from both sides.

Initially, the U.S. presented a document consisting of 27 points. This was later revised and submitted as four separate regulatory documents that were discussed during the meeting, Ushakov added.

The parties agreed not to disclose the essence of the negotiations. The discussions were entirely closed and confidential. The negotiators agreed to continue communications at the levels of representatives and aides.

The possibility of a presidential-level meeting will depend on the progress achieved at that level. The President gave a negative assessment of the unconstructive actions of Europeans in the context of the resolution.

Have the negotiations moved closer to peace or further away? “Not further away, that is for sure.” Contacts will continue after the American representatives report back to Trump.