From Russia’s perspective, Ukraine’s refusal to accept its terms to end the war is the main obstacle to peace.

According to Kyiv and many of its European allies , it is Russian President Vladimir Putin who is standing in the way of a truce deal.

On Tuesday, a United States delegation flew to Russia for high-level talks with Putin that were held behind closed doors and lasted about five hours. The group included US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Putin aide Yuri Ushakov called the meeting “very useful and constructive,” but admitted “a lot of work lies ahead”.

Ukraine’s desire to join NATO is a “key question”, he said, adding that “no compromise” had been reached on issues of territory.

Ukrainian officials find Russia’s position

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