Putin rejects latest peace deal and issues war warning to Europe

'We are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine'

According to The Kremlin, discussions with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were "constructive and meaningful", but "we are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine".

Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin aide, claimed there was still no agreement on the thorny issue of territory as Russia is seeking the eastern Donbas region, which Kyiv has refused.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that "it wouldn't be correct" to say President Putin rejected US peace proposals during talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner yesterday.

Answering a question at a daily press briefing, Peskov says: "Yesterday was the first time that a direct exchange of opinions took place. Something was accepted, something was marked as unacceptable. This is a normal working process and a search for compromise."

Peskov further refused to disclose any details regarding the five-hour negotiations in the Kremlin: "There's an understanding that the more quiet surrounds these negotiations, the more productive they are. We'll stick to this principle and we're hoping that our American counterparts will, too."

Leading up to the talks involving Trump's delegate Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Putin told an investment forum that a new 20-point peace plan agreed by Ukraine and the US was shot down by Moscow.

Putin accused Europe of wanting to sabotage the talks, claiming that Europe "wants to go to war and start one, we are ready right now".

It remains unclear what the 20-point plan actually entails. Zelenskyy has said, however, that the 28-point roadmap proposed by the United States last month has been reworked into a new agreement. Across much of Europe, the plan is widely seen as a capitulation for Ukraine.

The Russian leader previously accused Europe's demands for a possible peace settlement in Ukraine of being "absolutely unacceptable".

He suggested that European powers were making it difficult for Donald Trump to broker a peace deal.

His comments came ahead of talks between US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

It comes after Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed that Ukraine has agreed on a 20-point peace plan with the US.

“Some things still need to be worked out,” Zelenskyy told reporters, after a 28-point plan was reworked.

“The work was based on the Geneva document, and that document has been refined,” he wrote on Tuesday.

“Our diplomats are actively working with all partners to ensure that European countries and other participants in the Coalition of the Willing are meaningfully involved in developing decisions.”