By Independent News Roundup
RT: FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky at the White House, Washington, DC. August 18, 2025. © Getty Images / Anna Moneymaker
A US delegation is expected to visit Moscow early next week to discuss Ukraine peace proposals, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
No draft peace deal exists at the moment; Washington has only outlined a range of issues to discuss, the Russian leader said on Thursday. Moscow agrees in principle that the US proposals “can become the basis of future agreements,” but certain fundamental issues, such as Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and Donbass, must be addressed first, Putin stated.
US President Donald Trump has rejected Ukrainian overtures to meet this week, following two days of Western European scrambling for a seat at the Ukraine peace talks table. Only when a peace deal on the conflict is “in its final stages” will Trump grant Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky the audience he and his backers attempted to leverage through what Moscow has described as “megaphone diplomacy.”
The leaking on Tuesday of phone conversations between US and Russian officials has also brought a warning from a senior Kremlin aide of possible in-fighting in Washington that could undermine any progress.
Trump has, however, directed envoy Steve Witkoff to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the emerging Ukraine peace plan, which the US president said has been “fine-tuned” with input from both sides, following four days of surprise and division in Western Europe.
Blindsided by the emergence of the US plan, Kiev’s European backers have since emphasized a maximalist position, outright rejecting territorial concessions as part of a peace deal, which is a red line for Moscow. Following Ukraine-US talks in Geneva, Kiev claimed Zelensky was ready to meet Trump before Thanksgiving to “sign a deal,” an offer dismissed by the US president, much to the disappointment of Zelensky’s key adviser.
Moscow’s diplomats, not having received any official documents from any party to the talks, have been understandably tight-lipped.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the EU and UK on Tuesday of attempting to undermine Trump’s peace efforts and distort the plan “for their own agenda.” Moscow remains, however, ready to discuss clauses in the American proposals with Washington, he stressed.
As it stands, the respective sides are fundamentally as far apart as ever, despite the overtures being made to Washington by Kiev, and the megaphone diplomacy coming from Brussels.
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has said he will take part in “important negotiations next week,” but stopped short of revealing whom he will be meeting.
There had earlier been speculation about a possible meeting between Zelensky and Trump this week.
The US president, however, has said he will receive Zelensky only once the peace deal is “in its final stages.”
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly сlashed with several MEPs over the controversial plan to use frozen Russian sovereign assets as collateral for a loan for Ukraine, Euractiv has reported, citing people present at a closed-door meeting.
READ MORE: US peace plan thwarts EU attempts to use frozen Russian assets – mediaShe reportedly denigrated official Belgian concerns to the point that lawmakers described her tone as “very condescending” and “incredible”. “She [Kallas] wondered why Belgium was so worried. Which court was Russia going to go to? Which judge would ever rule for Russia on this?” the outlet’s source said.
Belgium – which hosts most of the frozen Russian funds – has for weeks been opposed to the scheme, demanding that all EU members should share the legal risks.
Putin added that under the current conditions, the Ukrainian leadership “could hardly hope for a victory unless the election is rigged.”
It is “pointless” to sign any documents with the Ukrainian leadership, Putin has said. “I think the Ukrainian leadership made a strategic mistake when they declined to hold a presidential election, after which the president lost his legitimacy.”
Some Western experts who recognize the desperate condition of Ukraine’s forces are urging Kiev to make concessions out of concern that the front could otherwise collapse entirely, the Russian president said.
The Russian military has broken Ukrainian defenses in the northern part of Zaporozhye Region and is quickly advancing, Putin has said, adding that this success allows Ukrainian fortifications to the south to be bypassed.
Putin has dismissed media reports about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “falling out of grace,” saying the official is running his own schedule, which now revolves around preparing for engagement with the US.
Putin has warned that any EU decision to seize frozen Russian assets would damage the bloc’s reputation, adding that Moscow is already preparing a package of retaliatory measures should the move go ahead.
Putin has said he has had productive engagement with Witkoff, and that the two “had an understanding on what should be done to cease the hostilities.” However, he stressed that it would be bizarre to accuse Witkoff of “treating his counterparts too courteously,” given that amid the ongoing talks, the US sanctioned two Russian oil giants.
Witkoff, he argued, is seeking to pursue diplomacy with Moscow, and it would be strange if he started using obscene language and scolding Russian officials.
Speaking about the frontline situation, Putin remarked that Ukraine’s main problem is the growing gap between its losses and replacements.
According to the Russian president, Kiev lost 47,000 troops in October, but mobilized only around 16,500, with around 15,000 injured in action returning to the front. The situation for Kiev is also only worsening due to rampant desertion, he added.
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