Global & US Headlines
Putin and Trump Envoy Witkoff Hold Five-Hour Kremlin Talks on Slimmed-Down Ukraine Peace Plan
On 2 Dec 2025, Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for roughly five hours in Moscow—the first face-to-face exchange on Washington’s newly-revised 20-point proposal to end the Ukraine war.
Focusing Facts
- Meeting ran about five hours inside the Kremlin on 2 Dec 2025, according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
- U.S. delegation delivered four peace-plan documents; current draft has been cut from the leaked 28 points to “about 20”, U.S. officials say.
- Jared Kushner joined Witkoff; it was Witkoff’s sixth Moscow trip since Jan 2025.
Context
Major power wars often end only after direct talks between principals—think the 1973 Paris Peace Accords after the secret Kissinger–Le Duc Tho meetings (1970–73). This encounter likewise sidelines European capitals, echoing 1944’s Churchill–Stalin “percentages agreement” that pre-empted allied input. Structurally, it signals two trends: Washington’s growing preference for back-channel, personality-driven deals, and Moscow’s attempt to fracture the U.S.–EU front by entertaining an American-only track. Whether the meeting matters in a century depends on if it becomes Minsk-III (a forgotten truce) or the moment the post-1991 European security map was redrawn. For now, both sides stage-manage leaks—denouncing “megaphone diplomacy” while feeding the press—underscoring that the information battlefield remains as contested as the physical one.
Perspectives
Russian state-owned media
e.g., TASS, RT — Cast the Putin–Witkoff meeting as a normal, constructive negotiation demonstrating that Moscow and Washington are still earnestly searching for a compromise on the U.S. peace plan. Echoes the Kremlin line that Russia is reasonable and open to dialogue, glossing over Russia’s recent battlefield escalation and the plan’s demands on Kyiv.
Western and European outlets critical of Moscow
e.g., Deutsche Welle, B92, Express — Depict the encounter as Kremlin stage-management meant to hide an impending Russian rejection of the plan while Moscow continues military pressure on Ukraine. Stresses Russian bad faith and imminent failure of diplomacy, relying heavily on Ukrainian and think-tank sources and giving scant attention to any Russian willingness to compromise.
Regional Turkish / Middle-Eastern outlets
e.g., TRT World, Anadolu Ajansı, Al Bawaba — Report the time and purpose of the meeting in a headline-driven, factual style, noting that the sides will talk about the U.S. peace proposal aimed at ending the war. By sticking closely to Kremlin briefings and omitting critical context, the coverage may unwittingly amplify Russian framing and downplay the contentious stakes of the negotiations.