Overview
- A five-hour Kremlin meeting between Vladimir Putin and U.S. emissary Steve Witkoff produced no compromise on territories Russia controls, though both sides described the exchange as constructive.
- The Kremlin signaled readiness for repeated contacts, while Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov in Florida today after Brussels talks, and President Trump said his team believes Putin wants to end the war.
- Talks center on a 27–28 point U.S. plan that has been revised after consultations with Kyiv, with any NATO-related provisions to be negotiated separately with the Alliance, according to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
- ISW estimates Russia captured about 701 km² in November; Moscow claims gains in Pokrovsk, Vovchansk and Tchervone, which Ukraine says remain at least partly contested.
- Parallel moves include an EU deal to phase out Russian gas imports by autumn 2027 and a UN General Assembly resolution urging the immediate, unconditional return of Ukrainian children transferred to Russia.