United States envoy, Steve Witkoff, is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the Trump administration’s controversial plan aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The White House has expressed optimism about the proposal after recent discussions with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida.
“I think the administration feels very optimistic,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been rallying support from European allies, many of whom are wary of the US plan, created without Kyiv or European input, fearing it may largely serve Moscow’s interests.
Ukraine’s negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said that “significant progress” had been made during the Florida talks, although he acknowledged that “more work” was still needed on “challenging” issues.
Zelensky arrived in Ireland Monday night to receive an in-person briefing from Umerov following talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.
On the tarmac, he was welcomed by Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who posted on social media: “Our support for the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy remains unwavering.”
More than three-and-a-half years into Russia’s large-scale invasion, an analysis by AFP of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War indicated that Russia made its largest territorial gains in Ukraine since November 2024.
Zelensky’s position has been further complicated by a corruption scandal within his administration, which led to the recent dismissal of his top negotiator and chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
“We are expecting a conversation with the president of the United States on key issues that are quite challenging,” Zelensky said in Paris, adding that Russia has intensified missile and drone strikes to “break” Ukrainian morale. “This is serious pressure, not only psychological but also physical pressure on our population,” he said.
Macron described the moment as potentially “decisive for the future of peace in Ukraine and security in Europe.”
Zelensky stressed that Russia should not be granted concessions “it could consider as a reward for this war.” “The aggressor must pay for the aggression,” he said.
In Paris, Zelensky and Macron held phone calls with Witkoff and Umerov in Florida, while Zelensky also spoke with other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Later, Macron spoke to Trump about “next steps in the mediation efforts” and “particularly emphasised the central importance of security guarantees necessary for Ukraine,” according to the Elysee Palace.
Washington’s initial 28-point proposal would have required Kyiv to withdraw from territory it currently controls in the Donetsk region, effectively leading the US to recognize Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk as Russian. After Geneva talks, the US revised the blueprint, though the updated plan’s details remain unclear.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas voiced concerns over the upcoming Putin-Witkoff meeting, warning that “all the pressure will be put on the weaker side, because that is the easier way to stop this war when Ukraine surrenders.”
Macron reiterated that “there is currently no finalised plan on the territorial issues, strictly speaking. It can only be finalised by President Zelensky.”
He also welcomed new US sanctions on Russia’s energy sector as a potential “game changer,” predicting that pressure on the sector will reach “the highest since the beginning of the war” in the coming weeks.
The war continues to devastate the region, with tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties and millions displaced. Russia claimed on Monday to have seized Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub defended by Ukraine.
A missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed four people and injured nearly two dozen others, according to the regional governor.
By the end of November, Russian forces controlled, either fully or partially, 19.3 percent of Ukrainian territory, according to ISW data analyzed with the Critical Threats Project.
