Inside Vitkoff–Putin meeting on the updated Ukraine peace plan: Details

Key questions:

• The meeting between Vitkoff and Putin in the Kremlin is expected to begin at 16:00.

• The American delegation consists only of Envoy Vitkoff and Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law).

• Before the talks in Moscow, consultations between the US and Ukraine took place in Geneva and Florida. The framework of the peace plan was updated.

• Putin is not abandoning his maximalist demands.

• Earlier, Vitkoff was involved in a scandal over his phone calls with Kremlin representatives.

The meeting between Vitkoff and Putin in the Kremlin is expected to begin at 04:00 p.m. Kyiv time.

A US-registered Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft used by Vitkoff landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport around 12:45 p.m. (Kyiv time).

The spokesman for the Russian leader, Dmitry Peskov, said that, along with the US presidential envoy, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, would be present.

According to Peskov, "there will be no one else in the American delegation," except interpreters.

When asked how long the meeting is scheduled to last, the Kremlin replied: "As long as necessary."

However, before the meeting, Moscow effectively acknowledged that it is not interested in ending the war, as the Kremlin insists on achieving the goals of the so-called special military operation.

What preceded the Vitkoff–Putin talks

The push to secure a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia intensified back in November. At that time, US military officials led by General Don Driscoll brought to Kyiv a so-called peace plan.

Today, Vitkoff will meet with Putin in Moscow to discuss the latest proposals for ending Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which have been incorporated into the framework of the updated US peace plan.

Before these revisions, lengthy talks took place between US and Ukrainian representatives—first in Geneva, then in Florida.

The negotiations involved special envoy Steve Vitkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law). From the Ukrainian side, participants included NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, Deputy Head of HUR Vadym Skibitskyi, and Commander of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Andrii Hnatov.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who visited Paris the day before and met with Emmanuel Macron, stated that the latest version of the peace plan "looks better."

The Ukrainian leader said he had already received a detailed report from his delegation after their meetings with the United States. According to him, they discussed "things that cannot be said over the phone."

Zelenskyy said the work was based on the Geneva document, and that this document had been revised. Ukrainian and US intelligence discussed possible steps on the front line and the issues of ensuring protection from Russian strikes and from violations of agreements in case of a ceasefire.

"The Russians have already begun new disinformation campaigns in view of their preparations for meetings with the American side," Zelenskyy warned.

The Kremlin leader is not ready to compromise

Last week, Putin said that US President Donald Trump’s proposals on ending the war "could become a basis for future agreements," but that, according to him, "there is still no final version."

At the same time, he gave no signals of readiness to abandon Russia’s maximalist demands.

Moreover, before his meeting with Vitkoff, the Russian leader supposedly visited the front yesterday and was briefed about the alleged capture of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. The General Staff has already denied these Russian claims.

It should be noted that Russia first attempted to capture Pokrovsk in July 2024. However, Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk region in August helped reduce pressure on the city, as Moscow had to redeploy troops to repel the strike.

After Ukrainian forces were pushed out of the Kursk region, and with support from North Korean soldiers, the enemy resumed intensive attacks in an effort to seize Pokrovsk.

What is known about the US peace plan

Vitkoff, who will meet with Putin for the sixth time this year, has been promoting a 28-point plan developed together with Kremlin representative Kirill Dmitriev.

These proposals included concessions that Ukraine repeatedly rejected and shocked European officials, who were unaware such proposals even existed.

In particular, the plan proposed reducing the Ukrainian army to 600,000 troops, giving Donbas to Russia, and Ukraine rejecting NATO membership.

After US-Ukrainian negotiations, the plan was reduced from 28 to 19 points, with Ukrainian interests taken into account.

The most difficult issues, Kyiv expects, must be discussed at the level of Zelenskyy–Trump. However, the US president said he is ready to meet with either him or Putin only after an agreement is reached.

Who is Steve Vitkoff

Steven Charles Vitkoff is an American billionaire real estate developer who became a US presidential envoy and has friendly ties with Donald Trump.

He now plays a key role in Trump’s efforts to secure an agreement to end the war in Ukraine and previously helped broker a ceasefire in the Israel–Gaza war.

Vitkoff and Trump have known each other for almost 40 years. And, as Western media reports, this gives the 67-year-old businessman significant influence. US officials say he is "a well-meaning envoy for an unpredictable leader," capable of instantly shifting from enthusiastic support to public criticism—largely depending on who is advising Trump.

Vitkoff recently made headlines after Bloomberg published leaked tapes. According to the recordings, on October 14, he suggested working on a peace plan for Ukraine modeled on Trump’s Gaza agreement.

In a call with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, he advised how Putin could best present a peace plan to Trump.

Similar conversations took place on October 29 between Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, another high-ranking Kremlin adviser and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), who also participated in US–Russia negotiations this year.

After the leak, members of the US Congress called for Vitkoff to be removed from negotiations on resolving the Russia–Ukraine war.

However, Trump, commenting on the leaked conversations, said there was "nothing unusual" about such consultations.

"You know, because he's got to sell this to Ukraine. He's got to sell Ukraine to Russia. That's what he is. That's what a dealmaker does. You got to say, "Look, they want this. You've got to convince them with this." You know, that's a very standard form of negotiation," Trump said.

More on this can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article: "Trump's friend with Kremlin ties: How Witkoff–Russia call scandal could end."

And on the latest developments around peace initiatives—see the RBC-Ukraine article: "US peace plan: Key takeaways from Florida talks ahead of Witkoff's trip to Putin."