Putin–Witkoff Moscow talks set to test Trump’s Ukraine peace proposal

US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to meet in Moscow on Tuesday for critical talks on the Trump administration’s controversial proposal to end the war in Ukraine.

The scheduled meeting follows signals from Washington that it is growing increasingly confident about the plan after negotiations with Ukrainian representatives in Florida.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the administration “feels very optimistic” about the progress made so far.

But in Europe, the proposal is generating unease. Many allies fear that the plan, drafted without direct input from Kyiv or European governments, appears to lean heavily in Moscow’s favour.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, is moving urgently to rally support across Europe. He travelled to Ireland on Monday night to receive a detailed briefing from Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, who earlier reported “significant progress” in the Florida talks, despite what he described as several “challenging” issues still unresolved.

Zelensky arrived in Dublin after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. He was received by Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who reaffirmed that Ireland’s support for Ukraine’s defence of its sovereignty and democracy “remains unwavering.”

The diplomatic scramble comes more than three and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion. A fresh analysis by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) shows that Russia registered its biggest Ukrainian territorial gains since November 2024 last month — further complicating Kyiv’s position.

Zelensky is also grappling with a damaging corruption scandal in his inner circle, which led to the dismissal of his former chief of staff and lead negotiator, Andriy Yermak, last week. Speaking in Paris, the Ukrainian leader said he was preparing for “a conversation with the president of the United States” on several difficult matters that remain on the table.

He warned that Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks in an attempt to “break” the resolve of Ukrainians, describing the situation as “serious pressure, not only psychological but also physical, on our population.”

President Macron said the present moment “could be decisive” for the future of Ukraine and the security of Europe. Zelensky also stressed that Russia must not receive any concession that could be interpreted as a reward for launching the war, insisting that “the aggressor must pay for the aggression.”

During the Paris meeting, Macron and Zelensky held joint phone calls to Witkoff and Umerov in Florida, and also consulted with other European leaders including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Communication later extended to a call between Macron and Trump, in which both discussed “next steps” in mediation efforts, with Macron emphasising that any final agreement must include robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

Washington’s original 28-point proposal reportedly required Kyiv to pull back from areas it still holds in Donetsk and would have amounted to US recognition of Russian control over Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk. Although the plan has been adjusted after talks in Geneva, the updated version has not been made public.

European officials, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, have voiced concern that the upcoming Putin-Witkoff meeting could disproportionately pressure Ukraine. Macron also reiterated that no territorial proposals can be finalised without President Zelensky’s direct input.

The French leader welcomed new US sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, describing them as a potential “game changer” that would apply the greatest pressure on Moscow seen since the invasion began.

Even as diplomatic manoeuvres intensify, the war remains deadly. On Monday, Russia claimed to have captured the strategic logistics hub of Pokrovsk. A Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed four people and injured nearly two dozen others the same day.

By late November, Russian forces controlled around 19.3 percent of Ukrainian territory, according to ISW’s latest assessment.