Conflicting reports on the agreement between Russia and Ukraine on ending the war

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview that some progress had been made in talks with Russia to end the war with Ukraine.

“What we’ve tried to do, and I think we’ve made some progress on, is figure out what Ukrainians can live with that gives them security guarantees for the future,” Rubio told Fox News.

He added that the United States hopes the settlement will allow them to not only rebuild their economy, but also prosper as a nation.

On the other hand, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday evening that no settlement had been reached on the occupied territories in Ukraine, after hours of talks between Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff, who presented the Russian president with Washington’s plan to end nearly four years of war in Ukraine.

Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov said in response to a journalist’s question about the occupied Ukrainian territories: “So far we have not reached a settlement, but it’s possible to discuss some American proposals.”

He explained that the talks have been very useful and constructive, but that there is still a lot of work to reach an agreement.

After this meeting with the Russians in Moscow, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may meet a delegation from Kyiv in Europe on Wednesday, a Ukrainian source said.

Before the meeting began, Putin accused Europeans of seeking to obstruct US efforts to end the war.

“Europe has done that and it has begun, we are ready now,” Putin said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed confidence on Tuesday that US efforts would bring peace to Europe.

For his part, US President Donald Trump stressed on Tuesday that resolving the conflict in Ukraine is a complex issue, “it’s not easy, believe me,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of taking advantage of the negotiations to try to weaken the sanctions imposed on it.

During a visit to Ireland, he called for an end to the war, not just a truce in the fighting.

Zelensky, who is facing mounting political and military pressure, received a strong dose of support on Monday from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who reiterated the Europeans’ mobilization to ensure a “just and lasting peace”.

Macron welcomed the US mediation efforts, but made it clear that no plan is done today in the strict sense of the word.

“It can only be accomplished with Europeans around the table,” he said.

Europeans fear a deal between Washington and Moscow at the expense of Ukraine.

The talks are taking place as Russian forces continue to put pressure on Ukraine.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, which works with the Critical Threats Project, showed that in November the Russian military made its biggest advance on the front in Ukraine in a year.

In one month, Russia controlled 701 square kilometers in Ukraine, its second-largest advance after its 725 square kilometers in November 2024, excluding the early months of the war in spring 2022.

On Monday, Russia announced its control of the eastern city of Pokrovsk, which is a supply line for Ukrainian forces.

Kyiv said fighting was still going on inside the city and that Russian forces had been forced to retreat after raising their flag.

But Putin reiterated in a press briefing in Moscow on Tuesday that Pokrovsk was entirely in the hands of the Russian armed forces, calling on any journalist who doubted it to visit the city.

“I suggested that your colleagues, including foreigners, go to Krasnoyarmysk (the name that was given to Pokrovsk during the Soviet era) to see for themselves what is happening there,” he said.

In November, Russia fired more missiles and drones in its nighttime attacks than in the previous month.

The number of projectiles reached 5,600 drones and missiles, an increase of 2%.

Domestically, Zelensky is facing a corruption scandal that has tarnished the government’s reputation and ousted Ukraine’s top presidential staffer, Andriy Yermak, who was forced to resign.