Putin Describes Washington’s Multi-Track Push for Ukraine Settlement: It's Shuttle Diplomacy

Following an extended overnight meeting with a high-level American delegation, President Vladimir Putin outlined Russia’s intentions for Donbass and Novorossiya and disclosed new details of Washington’s evolving peace proposal on Ukraine.

Photo: en.kremlin.ru by Presidential Executive Office of Russia, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Vladimir Putin

Putin Reasserts Russia’s Goals in Donbass and Novorossiya

Speaking after the five-hour talks with US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Russian president revisited what he described as missed chances to avoid the conflict altogether. He recalled that Moscow had urged Kyiv to withdraw its forces from Donbass at the very outset, insisting that the region’s population had expressed its will in the referendum.

"From the very beginning we told Ukraine: people there do not want to live under your authority, they voted for independence — withdraw your forces and there will be no war," Vladimir Putin said.

According to the president, Kyiv rejected that proposal and opted for a military solution, a decision he said ultimately led to the present stage of the conflict. He stressed that Russia would, in his words, “liberate” Donbass and Novorossiya regardless of the path chosen by Ukraine.

"Either we free these territories by military means, or Ukrainian forces leave them and stop fighting there," he stated.

Washington’s Peace Plan Broken Into Four Packages

The president revealed that the United States had brought a detailed trove of documents outlining the peace framework developed under President Donald Trump. According to Putin, Washington divided its plan of roughly twenty-seven points into four separate packages and suggested that each be reviewed individually.

"They broke these twenty-seven points into four packages and proposed that we discuss them one by one," Putin said.

The president added that many of the materials were new to Moscow, forcing both sides to work through the proposals point by point. Although the discussion was lengthy, he described the process as necessary given the scope of the documents.

Points of Disagreement Emerge, but Dialogue Continues

Putin confirmed that the proposals were based on understandings reached earlier between the Russian and American presidents at the Anchorage summit. Even so, he acknowledged that several topics raised by the US delegation were unacceptable to Russia.

"Yes, there were issues we could not agree with, and we discussed them," Putin noted.

However, he declined to publicly comment on the specific points of disagreement, arguing that such disclosures could hinder the ongoing diplomatic effort.

"To say now what exactly doesn’t suit us and what might be acceptable would be premature," the president said.

United States Engages in Shuttle Diplomacy

Putin characterized the broader strategy pursued by Washington as a form of shuttle diplomacy, with American envoys traveling between Moscow, Kyiv and European capitals in search of a workable settlement.

"They spoke with representatives of Ukraine, then with the Europeans, then they came to us. Next they meet again with Ukrainians and Europeans," he remarked.

The president emphasized that the search for peace requires persistent, detailed work and that the United States appears committed to that difficult process.

"It is difficult work, a difficult mission," he said.

Five Hours in the Kremlin

The meeting between Putin, Witkoff and Kushner took place in the early hours of December 3 inside the Kremlin. From the Russian side, the talks included Kirill Dmitriev, the president’s special representative for international investment cooperation, and Yury Ushakov, presidential aide on foreign policy.

Several peace concepts were discussed during the marathon session. According to Ushakov, the conversation was constructive, substantive and useful. He also noted that Putin used the meeting to send political messages to his American counterpart through Witkoff.