Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Tuesday was touted as a major step towards peace, but the talks ended with no breakthroughs, fueling accusations from Europe that he is feigning interest in finding a resolution.
The six-hour meeting at the Kremlin saw the two sides discuss a US-led proposal for ending the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since Russia's invasion nearly four years ago. However, Putin has consistently rejected key demands from Kyiv, including the return of four Ukrainian regions that Russia partially seized and occupies.
European leaders are growing increasingly frustrated with Moscow's refusal to compromise, with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on Putin to "end the bluster and bloodshed" and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urging him to stop "wasting the world's time."
The US proposal has been criticized for being too favorable to Russia, granting some of Moscow's core demands that Kyiv has rejected as nonstarters. This has raised concerns among European leaders that if Russia gets what it wants in Ukraine, it will have free rein to threaten their countries.
The Kremlin has maintained that the talks were productive, but there is little indication that Putin is willing to make concessions on key issues. The fate of the four Ukrainian regions remains a major point of contention, with both sides dug in.
The lack of progress has led to increased tensions between Russia and its European allies, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warning that "the peace talks are ongoing, but at the same time, we have to make sure that while they take place, Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going."
As the war continues, with both sides using drones and missiles for long-range strikes, European countries are stepping up their support for Ukraine. Canada, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands announced plans to donate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US-made weapons to Kyiv.
The situation remains grim, with Russian drones hitting a town in western Ukraine, killing two people and injuring three more. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions more, with no end in sight in sight.
The US and European governments are under pressure to increase their support for Ukraine, but the talks between Russia and its envoys have failed to yield any breakthroughs. It remains to be seen whether Putin is genuinely interested in finding a peaceful resolution or if he is simply trying to maintain a facade of cooperation while continuing to back his military actions.
The six-hour meeting at the Kremlin saw the two sides discuss a US-led proposal for ending the war in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since Russia's invasion nearly four years ago. However, Putin has consistently rejected key demands from Kyiv, including the return of four Ukrainian regions that Russia partially seized and occupies.
European leaders are growing increasingly frustrated with Moscow's refusal to compromise, with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper calling on Putin to "end the bluster and bloodshed" and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urging him to stop "wasting the world's time."
The US proposal has been criticized for being too favorable to Russia, granting some of Moscow's core demands that Kyiv has rejected as nonstarters. This has raised concerns among European leaders that if Russia gets what it wants in Ukraine, it will have free rein to threaten their countries.
The Kremlin has maintained that the talks were productive, but there is little indication that Putin is willing to make concessions on key issues. The fate of the four Ukrainian regions remains a major point of contention, with both sides dug in.
The lack of progress has led to increased tensions between Russia and its European allies, with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warning that "the peace talks are ongoing, but at the same time, we have to make sure that while they take place, Ukraine is in the strongest possible position to keep the fight going."
As the war continues, with both sides using drones and missiles for long-range strikes, European countries are stepping up their support for Ukraine. Canada, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands announced plans to donate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of US-made weapons to Kyiv.
The situation remains grim, with Russian drones hitting a town in western Ukraine, killing two people and injuring three more. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions more, with no end in sight in sight.
The US and European governments are under pressure to increase their support for Ukraine, but the talks between Russia and its envoys have failed to yield any breakthroughs. It remains to be seen whether Putin is genuinely interested in finding a peaceful resolution or if he is simply trying to maintain a facade of cooperation while continuing to back his military actions.
. On one hand, it's good that the US and Russia are finally having some kind of dialogue about the war in Ukraine. But at the same time, I'm really skeptical about Putin's intentions. He's been saying one thing and doing another for years now, so I'm not convinced that he's actually interested in finding a peaceful solution 
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. It's like they're trying to give Russia everything it wants while still calling it a "peace plan". Give me a break! 
The fact that European leaders are getting frustrated with Moscow's refusal to compromise just shows how far off base Putin is.
. We need to see some concrete changes on both sides if we're going to make any progress at all 
. Otherwise, I'm just not holding my breath 
. I feel like they're not even trying to have a real conversation about peace. Putin's just going through the motions, saying what he wants people to think he's interested in finding a solution when really he's just trying to get what he wants without giving anything up. It's all very suspicious 
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. If they'd just be more direct and stop playing nice, maybe Putin would actually take them seriously.
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. And what's with all these drone strikes? It's like, can't they just talk it out like normal people? I don't get why this is so hard for everyone involved...
about this situation:
. It's hard to see how the US proposal can be seen as fair to both sides at the same time 
.
, six hours of talks and no progress? That's not a meeting, that's just a bunch of people talking around each other 
. They're just stalling for time while they keep their boy Putin happy with his own ego 
. Newsflash: Ukraine isn't going anywhere and Russia needs to get on board or risk losing the support of everyone who actually cares about peace 
. And another thing, if the US is offering some concessions to Russia, that's just a recipe for disaster 
. Europe needs to stop being all worried about Russia and start focusing on supporting Ukraine more 
. NATO needs to step up its game and make sure Ukraine has what it needs to keep fighting 
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. I get why Ukraine doesn't want to give those regions back, but Russia's been occupying them for years now, so they need to find a compromise or else the situation will just get worse 
. Canada and Germany donating all that money to Ukraine is a good start, though 
. And yeah, increased support from Europe would be awesome, but we can't just sit back and do nothing while Russia's doing its thing 
. I'm all for peaceful resolutions, but if Putin is genuinely interested in peace, he should start showing it 
. Until then, it's just going to be a long and bloody war 
. We need to see some real action from the West, not just talk.
The US proposal might seem too favorable to Russia, but it's still better than nothing 
.