LONDON — The White Home stated it’s “very optimistic” forward of particular envoy Steve Witkoff’s assembly in Moscow on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as U.S. officers proceed their push to finish Russia’s struggle towards Ukraine.
The high-stakes sit-down follows a sequence of conferences between high U.S. and Ukrainian officers, throughout which the events sought to revise the unique peace-plan proposal introduced by the Trump administration to Ukraine final month.
Witkoff and different high U.S. officers — together with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — met on Sunday in Florida with a Ukrainian delegation to find a deal to finish the struggle that Ukraine and Russia may settle for.
On this pool {photograph} distributed by the Russian state company Sputnik, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a gathering with Russia’s jail service head on the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 1, 2025.
Gavriil Grigorov/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
“I feel the administration feels very optimistic,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised reporters on Monday, following the Florida assembly. “That they had excellent talks with the Ukrainians in Florida. And now, in fact, Particular Envoy Witkoff is on his method to Russia.”
The Kremlin on Monday stated a gathering between Witkoff and Putin was scheduled for Tuesday.
“The president will maintain a number of closed-door conferences at this time in preparation for the Russian-American contacts,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov advised reporters in Moscow on Monday.
There may be little expectation Putin will comply with a deal. The Russian chief has already signaled he is not going to compromise, final week making hardline remarks the place he repeated his calls for that Ukraine withdraw from territory he claims and saying it’s “pointless” to barter with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends talks in Bishkek on Nov. 26, 2025; and White Home particular envoy Steve Witkoff on the White Home in Washington, on Aug. 26, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov and Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
Putin on Monday claimed without evidence that Russian forces had taken management of two Ukrainian cities the place intense combating has been taking place for weeks within the japanese a part of the nation, a transfer meant maybe to burnish the notion of Russia’s main place on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was indirectly concerned with the talks in Florida, met on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. He landed on Tuesday in Dublin, the place he is anticipated to fulfill with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister.
“Our engagement at this time was substantive and essential — above all, targeted on the steps that convey a simply peace nearer,” he stated on social media after his assembly with Macron. “Now actions are wanted that can really change the course of the struggle and lead it to a simply peace, to an actual finish — the type we’d like. And it’s important that each one companions who can genuinely assist achieve this.”
As Zelenskyy pushed for European unity towards Russian aggression, members of his delegation in Florida have been sending updates on what was being mentioned. He stated on Monday that there have been nonetheless a number of “robust points” to work by way of within the negotiations, however didn’t elaborate. Ukraine’s potential relinquishment of a few of its territory to Russia was regarded as a part of the talks.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin, heart left, speaks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first girl Olena Zelenska as they arrive at Dublin Airport for his go to to Eire, Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Clodagh Kilcoyne/AP
Zelenskyy on Monday additionally stated he, Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had once more been briefed by Witkoff and the top of the Kyiv delegation, Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s Nationwide Safety and Protection Council.
“Over two very productive days in the USA, we held many hours of conferences and negotiations,” Umerov stated in a separate social media replace on Monday. “We achieved vital progress, though some points nonetheless require additional refinement.”
Talking on the White Home on Monday, Leavitt didn’t element what the U.S. anticipated to occur through the negotiations in Moscow, as a substitute deferring to those that could be on the assembly.
“We have put factors on paper. These factors have been very a lot refined,” she stated. “However as for the main points, I’ll let the negotiators negotiate. However we do really feel fairly good, and we’re hopeful that this work can lastly come to an finish.”
ABC Information’ Emily Chang and Patrick Reevell contributed to this report.
