Senior envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump are set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin today, in a high-stakes diplomatic effort to broker an end to the war in Ukraine, the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will be accompanied by the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a White House official confirmed. The meeting follows a leak of controversial U.S. draft peace proposals that have alarmed Ukraine and European allies, and comes as Russian forces make their fastest territorial gains since the 2022 invasion.

The diplomatic push comes after a leaked set of 28 U.S. draft proposals last week appeared to concede to several key Russian demands, including implicit acceptance of Russian control over occupied Ukrainian territories—constituting more than a fifth of the country—and restrictions on the size and capability of the Ukrainian military. The leak triggered urgent consultations among European powers, who presented a counter-proposal.

While U.S. and Ukrainian officials stated they subsequently created an “updated and refined peace framework” during talks in Geneva, the substance remains unclear. President Putin has downplayed the notion of a formal draft, stating last week that the discussions revolved around proposals that “could be the basis for future agreements.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the Tuesday afternoon meeting but declined to outline Russia’s negotiating red lines, stating that “megaphone diplomacy was not helpful.”

The talks occur against a backdrop of significant Russian battlefield momentum. Pro-Ukrainian mapping analysts report Russian forces now control over 19% of Ukraine, a one-percentage-point increase from two years ago, with advances in 2025 being the most rapid since the war’s early months. On Monday, Russian military commanders reported to Putin the capture of the key frontline towns of Pokrovsk and Vovchansk.

U.S. officials estimate the war’s human cost at over 1.2 million men killed or injured, though neither side discloses official casualty figures.

The core dispute remains a chasm between Russian and Ukrainian conditions for peace. Key Russian demands include a legally binding pledge that Ukraine will never join NATO, strict caps on the size of Ukraine’s military, and formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea and the occupied regions of Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.

Ukraine has rejected these terms as a demand for capitulation that would leave the country vulnerable to future conquest. In a potential concession, the U.S. has reportedly floated the idea of a 10-year security guarantee for Kyiv. Over the weekend, Witkoff and Kushner, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met with Ukraine’s National Security Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, in Florida for discussions.

“We share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after separate talks in Paris, underscoring Kyiv’s insistence that any agreement be just.

European powers have expressed deep concern that the U.S.-led peace drive could impose a punitive settlement favoring Moscow, while simultaneously opening Russian oil, gas, and rare earth sectors to American investment and facilitating Moscow’s return to forums like the G8. They have scrambled to bolster both Ukraine’s negotiating position and its defensive capabilities.

The conflict, which began with Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, has fundamentally reshaped European security. President Putin has consistently stated his readiness for negotiations but has warned that if Ukraine refuses a deal, Russian forces will continue their offensive.

Today’s meeting in the Kremlin represents a critical test of whether diplomacy can alter the grim trajectory of a war now in its fourth year. (ILKHA)