US Envoys Leave Moscow Without Breakthrough as Putin Holds Stance

A three-hour meeting in Moscow between US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Russian leader Vladimir Putin ended without a breakthrough, leaving the Russian leader intent on continuing Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Putin remains committed to capturing the entire Donetsk region, a goal he believes his forces can achieve within the next six months, as reported by Bloomberg.

According to calculations by the Institute for the Study of War, Russian forces are currently advancing at a rate of 2.36 square kilometers per day on the Donetsk front, meaning it would take until October 2032 to control the remaining 19% of the region.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that Putin may hold a phone call with Donald Trump and did not rule out resuming three-party talks between Russia, the US, and Ukraine, though he stated it is premature to discuss specific dates or venues.

Following his visit to Moscow, Witkoff traveled to Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and national security advisers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, later reporting "substantial progress" from his discussions.

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The diplomatic mission was preceded by an unannounced visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who presented Russian intelligence leadership with a grim assessment of the Russian military's battlefield situation and the state of the Russian economy.

Ratcliffe urged a return to negotiations, warning that escalation would only worsen conditions and stating that the full surrender of the Donbas requested by the Kremlin "simply won't happen."

Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya noted that Putin is not interested in discussing such terms, as he remains convinced he is winning and believes Ukraine will break at some point, regardless of how long it takes. Experts from the Institute for the Study of War suggested Putin may be operating in a false reality due to systemic exaggeration of frontline successes by military commanders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following contacts with the US representatives, said Ukraine was prepared to observe a temporary halt to aerial strikes involving cities connected to the negotiations.

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