Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff, centre left, Jared Kushner, second right, and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin held marathon overnight talks with envoys of U.S. President Donald Trump, as the Kremlin said that resolving territorial issues is essential to ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting took place at the Kremlin in Moscow and lasted nearly four hours, ending after 3 a.m. on Friday.
Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who took part in the talks, said it was reaffirmed that a long-term peace settlement cannot be expected without addressing the territorial question. Russia has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its troops from eastern regions that Moscow illegally annexed but does not fully control, and Russian officials continue to describe this demand as a key condition for peace.
Trump’s envoys at the meeting were Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were joined by Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the U.S. Federal Acquisition Service and a senior adviser on Trump’s Board of Peace. Ushakov described the talks as frank, constructive, and fruitful, and said the U.S. envoys briefed Putin on Trump’s recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as earlier discussions with Ukrainian and European officials.
The Kremlin meeting came only hours after Zelenskyy sharply criticized European allies during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he said Europe’s response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion has been slow and divided, leaving Ukraine vulnerable as the United States pushes for a peace settlement.
Earlier on Thursday, Zelenskyy met Trump behind closed doors in Davos for about an hour and later described the meeting as productive and meaningful. Afterward, Zelenskyy said the future status of eastern Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces remains unresolved, although he added that peace proposals are nearly ready.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington, Trump said his meeting with Zelenskyy went well and noted that both Zelenskyy and Putin want to reach a deal. He added that everyone involved is making concessions, but said the main obstacle continues to be boundaries and territory, which he described as the same issue that has delayed progress for months.
Russia has captured about 20 percent of Ukraine since fighting began in 2014 and expanded with the full-scale invasion in 2022, although its battlefield gains along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line have come at a high cost. The war has strained Russia’s economy and increased pressure from international sanctions, while Ukraine remains short of money, weapons, and manpower despite boosting its domestic arms production.
Ukraine’s defense minister recently reported about 200,000 troop desertions and said roughly 2 million Ukrainians have avoided the military draft, adding to Kyiv’s challenges on the front line as it continues to rely heavily on Western military support.
Ushakov said the Kremlin talks also produced agreement that Russian, Ukrainian, and U.S. officials will hold further discussions on security issues related to a possible peace deal. These talks are scheduled to begin Friday in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
He confirmed that Russia will take part in the meetings and said the Russian delegation will be led by Adm. Igor Kostyukov, the head of military intelligence, while Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev will hold separate talks on economic issues with Witkoff.
During the Kremlin meeting, Putin also reaffirmed an offer to contribute $1 billion to Trump’s Board of Peace using Russian assets frozen in the United States, with the funds intended to help rebuild Gaza. Asked about the proposal, Trump said he was comfortable with the idea, adding that it was fine if Russia used its own frozen assets.
In Davos, Zelenskyy used his speech to criticize Europe for spending too little on defense, acting too slowly on major decisions, failing to stop Russia’s so-called shadow fleet of oil tankers that bypass sanctions, and resisting the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe to help finance Ukraine. He said Europe must become a stronger global force and compared the situation to the movie Groundhog Day, saying he was repeating the same warnings he had made the year before.
Zelenskyy said two days of trilateral talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia are set to begin Friday in the United Arab Emirates, and stressed that peace will require compromises from all sides, including Russia. https://dmtn1.com/putin-meets-trump-envoys-as-ukraine-peace-talks-focus-on-territory/
