Ukraine, 5-hour meeting in Moscow between Putin, Witkoff and Kushner. Kremlin: 'Peace is no closer'

- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that "some progress" had been made in talks with Russia to end the war with Ukraine. "What we've been trying to do, and I think we've made some progress, is figure out what the Ukrainians could live with that would give them security guarantees for the future," Rubio told the host in an interview with Fox News, adding that the US hopes the compromise will "allow" the Ukrainians "not only to rebuild their economy, but to prosper as a country."

Agreement in the trialogue between the EU Council and the European Parliament on the regulation to phase out imports of Russian natural gas. The regulation introduces a gradual and legally binding ban on imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from Russia, with a total ban from the end of 2026 and autumn 2027 respectively. The agreement will have to be ratified by the 27 and the plenary. "Finally, and forever, we are turning off the Russian gas tap. We will never again return to our dangerous dependence on Russia," emphasised Commissioner Dan Jorgensen.

Russia and the US have not reached a compromise on peace in Ukraine, and peace is neither closer nor further away, said Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. He noted that the parties failed to reach a compromise on one of the most difficult issues: territorial disputes.

The statements came after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner at the Kremlin. Ushakov described the talks as constructive, but acknowledged that differences remain over Ukraine.

The talks in the Kremlin were "useful and constructive", but Russian President Vladimir Putin told his American interlocutors that Russia could agree with "something" in the US plan for Ukraine, while "something arouses criticism from the Russian side". This was said by Russian presidential advisor Yuri Ushakov, quoted by Ria Novosti.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were useful and constructive, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov said, explaining that the parties discussed the prospects of reaching a peace agreement for the Ukrainian conflict.

Ushakov said Putin and Witkoff addressed the essence of the US plan for the peace agreement and not specific proposals, discussing documents on the possible understanding received from Russia.

The talks were 'productive'. This was said by Putin's envoy Dmitriev after the nearly five-hour meeting between the Russian President, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law.

Talks in the Kremlin between Vladimir Putin, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, have ended after almost five hours. This was reported by the Ria Novosti news agency.

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and visiting US special envoy Steve Witkoff has been going on for over four hours, according to Tass. The meeting is taking place behind closed doors. The Russian side is also represented by presidential advisor Yury Ushakov and special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev. As for the US, along with Witkoff, entrepreneur and investor Jared Kushner, founder of Affinity Partners, is also attending, Tass recalls. (ANSA).

"Admiral Cavo Dragone essentially talked about hybrid warfare threats, which means cyber attacks or the possibility of disrupting a satellite signal" and "preparing for these threats and attacks that happen every day is a right thing to do. In my opinion his words have been misinterpreted'. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told Tg5. "If there is an organisation that has never attacked anyone and has never invaded any country to conquer it, it is NATO," the minister stressed, "whereas I know that Russia has tried to invade 19 countries in the last century, it is not comparable.

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president's son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet Vladimir Zelensky tomorrow in an unspecified European country. Axios reports this, citing sources that Witkoff and Kushner intend to discuss with Zelensky the results of negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff dined on "classic Russian dishes" at the Michelin-starred restaurant 'Savva' before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, according to local media reports and picked up by CNN.

'There was plenty of caviar - red, beluga and pike - Stolichny salad prepared according to the 1961 recipe, buckwheat-stuffed quail, venison prepared according to our original recipe, and various hors d'oeuvres,' restaurant manager Maxim Romantsev told the Russian daily Izvestia.

US President Donald Trump said today that he had not yet received an update on the meeting between US negotiators and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but that he expected to receive one at the end of the press briefing.

"No, because I'm spending too much time with you guys.... I'll do it after I leave here," Trump told reporters during a cabinet meeting with reporters when asked if he had any updates on the talks.

"I am ready for a meeting with President Trump. Everything depends on today's conversations,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a few minutes ago on his Telegram channel.

"Ukraine will wait for signals from the US delegation after its meetings in Russia. The US delegation, immediately after the meetings, wants to report directly to us. The next steps will depend on these signals," Zelensky continued.

The Atlantic Alliance will participate in the discussion of NATO-related peace building points between Ukraine and Russia, Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte told a press conference today.

"As far as NATO issues within the agreement to end the war in Ukraine are concerned, these will be dealt with separately and NATO will of course be involved in this process," the Secretary General assured.

US President Donald Trump said that the war in Ukraine is a 'mess' and that the situation is not easy to resolve. Trump spoke before a cabinet meeting.

A senior Ukrainian official told Afp that a possible meeting between a Ukrainian delegation and US envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner could take place tomorrow and that the talks could take place in Brussels but that "there is no clear agreement yet" on the possible meeting. "The Ukrainian side does not rule it out and is ready," the Ukrainian source told Afp.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kuishner has begun at the Kremlin. Tass reports.

In the conflict in Ukraine "I think Italy's role is very important, culturally and historically, because of its ability to be an intermediary in the midst of a conflict that exists between different parties, including that between Russia and Ukraine". The Pope said this while responding to journalists on the flight. "I might suggest that the Holy See might encourage this mediation and that we seek, and seek together," Leone said, "a solution that can truly flow into a just peace, in this case in Ukraine.

"Such a proposal is not under consideration" because it would probably "violate European treaty rules prohibiting monetary financing". This is the ECB's position - reportedly - after rumours, picked up by the Financial Times, that the Eurotower would not be willing to provide collateral for the €140bn loan to Ukraine, leveraging Russian assets deposited with Euroclear. "Based on a preliminary examination, this would probably be monetary financing," leaks the ECB.

Europe has withdrawn from the Ukrainian settlement process, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today shortly before his meeting with US emissaries Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

"The Europeans are offended that they were supposedly excluded from the negotiations. But I want to stress that nobody excluded them. They excluded themselves... They withdrew from this process," Putin said, according to Russian agencies.

If Kiev forces continue to attack oil tankers and other ships in the Black Sea, Russia will respond in the most radical way, by isolating Ukraine from the sea. President Vladimir Putin said this, quoted by the Ria Novosti news agency.

Attacks on ships in the Black Sea are acts of piracy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today.

"I know it happened: attacks on oil tankers in neutral or even non-neutral waters, but in a special economic zone of another state, of a third state. This is piracy, nothing else," Putin said, according to Russian agencies.

New convocation of the pre-Council ahead of the Prime Minister's meeting to be held on Thursday afternoon. Unlike the previous version sent to the offices concerned in the morning, the 'urgent provisions for the extension of the authorisation for the transfer of military means, materials and equipment in favour of the government authorities of Ukraine' decree no longer appears on the agenda.

''If Europe wants to start a war, we are ready now''. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin as he rejected the European proposals as ''unacceptable to Russia''. The Kremlin leader also accused European leaders of ''obstructing'' the US proposals and insisted that the Europeans ''do not have a peaceful agenda''.

Europe is trying to prevent the US administration from achieving peace in Ukraine, and all the Europeans' proposals point to this result, while the leadership in Kiev seems to be living on another planet. Russian President Vladimir Putin said this before meeting US envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin. This was reported by the Ria Novosti news agency.

Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the envoys of the US president, Donald Trump, are expected to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, after their meeting in Moscow with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Axios journalist Barak Ravid reports this on X. "They will fly from Moscow to a European country and meet Ukrainian President Zelensky," he wrote.

The European Commission had multiple exchanges with the ECB in the context of the work on the legislative proposal on the use of Russian assets for the reparation loan to Ukraine. The Commission would not make proposals involving monetary financing. This is according to sources in Brussels. So-called 'monetary financing' occurs when a central bank directly finances the public spending or debt of a state.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has annulled the total exclusion of Russian and Belarusian skiers from international competitions, paving the way for their presence under neutral status at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina (6-22 February). If they 'meet the criteria' set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for neutral status, athletes from both countries 'should be allowed to participate in qualifying events' of the International Ski Federation for the upcoming Winter Games, Tas explained in a statement.

"We are confident that the US efforts will eventually lead to peace". NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said this. "It is good that the US has made this proposal, we have to start somewhere. But we are beyond the 28-point plan, you always start with a draft."

Russian forces do not control Pokrovsk, but only parts of the city where incursion units have been fighting metre by metre for the past four months, analysts of the Ukrainian platform DeepState and the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, point out on the basis of information gathered from open sources. Large portions of Pokrovsk are still being fought over, they point out. Moscow forces clear a block, commanders declare it captured, send new units there, and then lose it again, either entirely or partially, this is the algorithm that has been repeating itself along the entire front for months, DeepState points out. In Kupyansk, which Valery Gerasimov had declared occupied last October, and which has instead been almost completely liberated by Russian forces, as Volodymir Zelensky told Elysium yesterday, as in Pokrovsk. "The front line is a constantly shifting line of contact," Zelensky pointed out. The same applies to Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region, the other locality of which Vladimir Putin yesterday, on the eve of his talks today in the Kremlin with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, claimed control. More than half of the town is still controlled by Ukrainian forces. Huliaipole in the Zaporizhzhia region is largely out of Russian control. Russian forces permanently occupy scattered and limited positions in northern Pokrovsk, writes the Isw. The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Ukrainian Strike Forces reported yesterday that Russian forces are mired in urban guerrilla warfare inside the city. In November alone, Ukrainians killed 1,221 Russians and wounded 545 in the Pokrovsk area, 510 killed and 131 wounded inside Pokrovsk.

US envoy Steve Witkoff has arrived in Moscow and was welcomed at Vnukovo airport by Kirill Dmitriev, Russian presidential adviser on foreign investment and one of Moscow's negotiators. This was reported by the Tass news agency. The meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled for 3pm Italian time.

Volodymyr Zelensky says on social media that he received a detailed report from his delegation after the conclusion of the meetings in the US. "The work was carried out on the basis of the Geneva document, and this document was further refined," he said. The Ukrainian leader added that his team spoke with the US delegation to "ensure security from Russian attacks" in case Moscow reneges on a potential ceasefire agreement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, will also be present at today's meeting in Moscow between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia's Interfax news agency reports. "As already discussed, the Russian-American meeting will begin after 5pm" Moscow time, i.e. 3pm Italian time, "Putin will meet Witkoff, chief US negotiator for Ukrainian affairs, at the Kremlin. Jared Kushner will be with him," Peskov told reporters. "There will be no other representatives of the American side," he added, "only a translator." As for the duration of the meeting, Peskov clarified that it will go on for "as long as necessary".

The Russian Defence Ministry said that its forces have taken under their total control the city of Pokrovsk, in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk. "Units of the Centre troop grouping have completed the liberation of the city of Krasnoarmeisk (Pokrovsk in Russian, ed.)," a ministry statement quoted by the Interfax news agency read. Yesterday evening the commander of the Centre grouping, Valerij Solodchuk, had informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the city had been taken and the search and elimination of small groups of the Ukrainian armed forces still in the settlement was underway. This morning, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that fighting was still going on in the city. Ukraine, for its part, states that fighting with the Russian army continues in the city.

The decree-law to extend the authorisation to transfer military means, materials and equipment to Ukraine has been postponed. The measure was among the 18 on the agenda of the convocation - sent to the ministries this morning - of the technical preparatory meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, on the eve of the Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Thursday. But an updated convocation was sent out, with only 17 measures under consideration, and without that decree. According to government sources, the agenda was already heavy with urgent matters, and since the authorisation for the arms transfer to Kiev expires at the end of the month it was decided to postpone the decree

The Kiev city prosecutor's office, together with Ukraine's security services, has arrested the former acting vice-president of the state energy and nuclear company Energoatom and Ukraine's first deputy energy minister Yuriy Sheyk as part of the investigation into corruption around the Energoatom agency. Ukrainska Pravda reports.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called today's meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff "an important step towards the peaceful resolution" of the conflict in Ukraine. In the press briefing reported by Russian news agencies, Peskov said that Putin and Witkoff will discuss the "points agreed upon" by Washington and Kiev on conflict resolution.

"I felt satisfaction" at the extension of the corruption investigation that swept up two ministers, Yermak and people close to Zelensky. "Ukraine finally has institutions capable of reaching anyone, regardless of role. The message is clear: no one is untouchable. For my country it is a positive development'. This was said by the former Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in an interview with Repubblica. As for the elections in Ukraine, "six months ago I would have said that Ukrainians' interest in the elections was close to zero. Now the situation has reversed, the people perceive that the country needs a reset. If there is a truce we will go straight to the vote'. And when asked if he sees a political future for Zelensky, he replied: 'Even if he is not re-elected he will still have a future. Whether one likes it or not, he is a figure of historic stature and one does not need to hold office to make a point'. Asked about the meeting in Florida between Ukrainians and Americans on the peace plan, 'nothing is decided before everything is decided', he added. Kuleba went on to emphasise that "the only tolerable formula is for hostilities to cease along the current front line, while continuing to negotiate on the status of the occupied territories. No Ukrainian leader can sign a document that legally recognises the loss of those lands". As for Trump, 'he thinks he can solve conflicts by offering the prospect of making money together. The problem is that this war is not about resources, it is 100 per cent ideological, the Russian imperial ideology against the European ideology of Ukraine'. "The military side of Nato is aware that we are moving towards war, the political side, on the other hand, does not want to recognise it," he concluded, "Today the only one who talks about it is the German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, and I know that President Macron thinks the same way. Russia is preparing an attack on Europe. And the more Putin repeats that he doesn't want to do it, the more you should believe me'.

"As a commander of two wars, I can say that no one knows the cost of a conflict and wants its end more than those involved in it. The key is to end it in a lasting, just and reasonable way'. So says David Petraeus, former commander of multinational forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former director of the CIA, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. "It's hard to say" whether the negotiations are bringing Ukraine closer to peace "because there are things we don't know and a lot depends on Russia's willingness to make concessions".

"We have little knowledge of what the Russians are prepared to accept: so far their demands have been maximalist including replacing Zelensky with a pro-Russian figure and a strong demilitarisation of Ukraine." 'I hoped that there could be two sets of actions from the Western world to help Ukraine do even better on the front and in the defence of its airspace,' he says. First, if Europe would finally agree to use the $200-250 billion of Russian reserves frozen in European banks, particularly in Belgium as collateral to issue Euroclear's guaranteed bonds, the money could be given to Ukraine to buy weapons and ammunition systems they cannot produce themselves (such as ballistic missile defence) but also to double their production of drones from 3.5 million to 7 million a year. And they could overcome their economic problems for two to three years'.

All eyes are on Moscow, where US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. Yesterday, Washington expressed 'great optimism' despite the Russian leader's continued intransigence. Trump and his team "have worked hard on this issue and everyone sincerely wants this war to end," said White House spokeswoman Karolina Leavitt. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received strong support yesterday from Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, who reiterated Europe's commitment to achieving 'a just and lasting peace'. While welcoming the US 'mediation efforts', Macron stated that 'as of today there is no definitive plan. We are still at a preliminary stage,' he explained at a press conference with Zelensky, stressing that the plan presented by Washington 'can only be finalised with the Europeans sitting at the table' and spoke with Trump by phone. Zelensky travelled to Ireland where Prime Minister Micheal Martin assured him of Ireland's 'unwavering support'.

A decree-law to extend the authorisation to transfer military means, materials and equipment to Ukraine is reportedly to be examined in the Council of Ministers scheduled for Thursday. The measure is in fact on the agenda of the technical preparatory meeting convened for tomorrow afternoon at Palazzo Chigi.

A fire broke out at a fuel plant in the Oryol region in south-eastern Russia due to a drone attack. This was reported by Governor Andrej Klychkov, quoted by Russian news agencies. The governor specified that there were no casualties in the attack.

The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, arrived in Ireland overnight with his wife, Olena Zelenska. They were welcomed by Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, who posted a video of the arrival on his X account. "It is an honour to welcome President Zelensky and the first lady to Ireland. Our support for the Ukrainian people in their defence of freedom and democracy remains unwavering,' the post reads. This is Zelensky's first official visit to Ireland. In addition to a meeting with the Taoiseach, i.e. the Irish Prime Minister, the Ukrainian President is scheduled to visit the new President Catherine Connolly and give a speech to the Houses of Parliament, the Oireachtas, meeting in joint session. The speech is expected around 3pm local time, 4pm in Italy.

"France is eager to send its troops to Ukraine" and "continues to seek options for direct involvement in the conflict". This was stated in a note by Russia's foreign intelligence service (Svr), according to the Tass news agency. According to the Svr, "this is the purpose of the government decree of 31 October 2025, which authorises the use of private military companies to provide assistance to a 'third country in a situation of armed conflict' ", noting that any European citizen understands "which country is meant". "The presence of French private military companies in Ukraine, referred to in the aforementioned decree as 'reference operators' of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, will be considered by Moscow as a direct participation of France in military operations against Russia," the note added, "Consequently, French private military companies will become the main legitimate target of the Russian Armed Forces.

'ECB refuses to provide collateral for €140bn loan to Ukraine'. This is what the Financial Times writes. According to several officials, the ECB 'has concluded that the European Commission's proposal violates its mandate,' the British paper writes, pointing out that 'Brussels' difficulties in raising the gigantic loan against the Russian central bank's assets tied up in Euroclear, the Belgian securities depository, are increasing. According to the European Commission's plan, EU countries would provide state guarantees to ensure that they share the repayment risk of the EUR 140 billion loan granted to Ukraine. However, Commission officials said that the countries would not be able to raise the money quickly in the event of an emergency and this could put pressure on the markets, reads the Ft. The officials - explains the British paper - asked the ECB 'if it could act as lender of last resort for Euroclear Bank, the financial arm of the Belgian institution, to avoid a liquidity crisis, according to four people briefed on the discussions. ECB officials told the Commission that this was impossible'.