Ukraine's refusal to give up territory to Russia stalls peace deal, Trump envoy says

Ukraine's stance against conceding territory to Russia is hindering a peace agreement, according to a spokesperson for President Donald Trump. During a speech at the Yalta European Strategy conference on September 11, Kushner stated that President Vladimir Putin presented Russia's territorial demands during their recent talks in Moscow on September 5.

It is believed that Putin's insistence hinges on Ukraine ceding control of the Donbas region. The Kremlin has consistently refused to accept a ceasefire and has demanded Kiev surrender the strategically significant eastern part of Ukraine that Russia has been unable to fully occupy militarily. Instead, Ukraine has called for a cease-fire along the existing front lines and the implementation of Western-backed security assurances to prevent potential future Russian aggression.

The U.S. is acting as a mediator in these peace negotiations, hoping to find a "creative solution" that safeguards Ukraine's interests while pushing Russia to cease the conflict. Kushner expects the U.S. to unveil the next steps in the talks within the coming weeks. Kushner's remarks follow his recent visits to Moscow and Kyiv, where he and other envoys presented revised peace proposals.

However, no breakthrough was achieved, as Putin remained intent on expanding Russia's war efforts. President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged after the Kyiv meeting that he anticipated the war would persist into the winter months despite the intensified diplomatic efforts. The most noticeable outcome of Kushner's mission was an agreement between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia to resume trilateral negotiations, although prior rounds of talks yielded little political progress but did lead to significant humanitarian initiatives, such as prisoner exchanges.