Russian and Ukrainian officials began US-brokered talks on Tuesday, their first since February, after US President Donald Trump said last week that a broad agreement to end the war and guarantee security in Europe could be within reach.
Russian state news agency RIA reported the start of the two-day negotiations, with Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner set to mediate between the two sides.
More than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and with Russian forces holding about a fifth of the country, Moscow and Kiev remain far apart on the terms of a possible settlement.
The latest US push for an agreement has prompted European officials to seek a place at the negotiating table, arguing that they must be involved in efforts to end the continent's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Before the main meeting, Kiev’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said Ukrainian officials had held separate discussions with European, NATO and EU representatives, as well as the two US envoys.
"We are doing everything to ensure that Europe is a participant in the diplomatic process," Umerov said.
France said there could be no lasting peace in Ukraine without addressing European security, adding that this required the involvement of European countries.
Russia has made clear it does not see a role for Europeans in the talks with Ukraine and the US.
Trump says a deal could come soon
On the eve of the negotiations, Trump said Washington was seeing a "very strong inclination" towards ending the war, adding that both sides were "tired of fighting".
After meeting privately with Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy at the White House last week, Trump predicted that a peace agreement could emerge soon.
Trump has repeatedly said a deal to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II was close, but no agreement has emerged. Negotiations have picked up again in recent weeks after months in which Washington's attention was focused on the war in Iran.
There has been no public indication that Putin is prepared to abandon his demand that Ukraine surrender the entire eastern region of Donbass before a peace deal can be reached.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly rejected handing over territory that Ukrainian forces have died defending.
Russian advances along the front line have slowed to a near halt this year.
A source in the Russian delegation said Moscow believed the main focus of the talks would be to establish key elements of a new post-war security framework for Europe.
Territory remains a major obstacle
On the eve of the negotiations, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's position in the talks was strengthening because of its recent battlefield performance, including the recapture of some territory in Donetsk, a coal-mining area of the Donbass.
"Ukrainian forces are currently genuinely strengthening Ukraine's negotiating position," Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Monday.
He said Russia was suffering "record losses" — a claim disputed by Moscow — and urged Washington to persuade the Kremlin to end the war.
US negotiators believe Zelenskyy and Putin may be willing to compromise on the key question of territory, with each side making limited concessions, a US official told Reuters.
Under the proposed deal, Ukraine would receive an end to the war, security guarantees and a roadmap towards EU membership.
A senior Ukrainian official strongly denied that Kiev would consider such concessions. The official said territorial issues could be discussed only at a leaders' level and in the context of appropriate security guarantees for Ukraine.
