KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� A senior Kremlin official confirmed Wednesday that U.S. special envoy is set to visit Moscow next week as efforts pick up speed to find a consensus on ending the between Russia and Ukraine.
But Yuri Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 foreign affairs adviser, insisted that Kremlin officials haven鈥檛 officially received the initial U.S. peace proposal, although they have acknowledged that they have seen a copy obtained through back channels. Representatives of the United States, Russia and Ukraine held talks earlier this week in the United Arab Emirates.
鈥淐ontact is ongoing, including via telephone, but no one has yet sat down at a roundtable and discussed this point by point. That hasn鈥檛 happened,鈥� Ushakov told Russian state media.
Ukrainian officials didn鈥檛 confirm whether U.S. Army Secretary , who in recent weeks has played a high-profile role in the peace efforts, would be in Kyiv in the coming days, as U.S. President Donald Trump indicated Tuesday.
Russia cautious on peace prospects
Trump鈥檚 plan for ending the war became public last week, setting off . The initial version appeared toward Russian demands for halting Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor.
After weekend between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the plan could be 鈥渨orkable,鈥� although key points remain unresolved. A Ukrainian official said Zelenskyy hoped to meet with Trump in the coming days.
Witkoff鈥檚 role in the peace efforts came under a renewed spotlight Tuesday when a report , the Putin aide, on how Russia’s leader should pitch Trump on the Ukraine peace plan.
Trump described Witkoff鈥檚 reported approach to the Russians in the call as 鈥渟tandard鈥� negotiating procedure.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got to sell this to Ukraine. He鈥檚 got to sell Ukraine to Russia,鈥� Trump Tuesday night. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what a deal maker does.鈥�
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that he 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 exaggerate (the) significance鈥� of the leaked call, Russian state news outlet Tass reported.
However, 鈥渋t鈥檚 clear that there will be a very large number of people in various countries, including the United States, who will try to disrupt these efforts toward peace,鈥� Peskov said from Kyrgyzstan, where Putin traveled this week.
Asked whether a peace agreement is closer than ever, Peskov told reporters, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little too early to say that,鈥� according to Tass.
Russian drones hit a Ukrainian university dorm
The southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia came under a large Russian drone attack overnight, damaging more than 50 residential buildings, including a university dormitory filled with people, the head of the regional military administration, Ivan Fedorov, said Wednesday.
The attack wounded at least 19 people, he said.
Russian air defenses, meanwhile, downed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight over various Russian regions and the Black Sea, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Ukrainian forces struck a manufacturing plant in Cheboksary, western Russia, that produces equipment and components for cruise and ballistic missiles, Ukraine鈥檚 General Staff said Wednesday.
Europe wants to be heard
European countries, which are and see their own future at stake in negotiations over Ukraine, are fighting to make their voices heard in the talks as Washington takes the lead.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday that Europe wants the war to end as quickly as possible.
鈥淏ut an agreement negotiated by great powers without the approval of the Ukrainians and without the approval of the Europeans won鈥檛 be a basis for a real, sustainable peace in Ukraine,鈥� Merz told lawmakers in Berlin. 鈥淓urope is not a plaything, but a sovereign actor for its own interests and values.”
The head of the European Union鈥檚 executive, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, was upbeat about recent developments, saying there is 鈥渁n opportunity here to make real progress鈥� toward peace.
She insisted that any settlement must include future security guarantees for Ukraine. At the same time, she said a deal can’t contain limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces or block its path to NATO membership. Those limits were part of the initial proposal.
鈥淭here can be no limitations on Ukraine鈥檚 armed forces that would leave the country vulnerable to future attacks,鈥� she said during a speech at the European Parliament. 鈥淭his is as much about deterrence as it is about Europe鈥檚 security, because Ukraine鈥檚 security is Europe鈥檚 security.鈥�
Kaja Kallas, the EU鈥檚 top diplomat, expressed doubt about Russia鈥檚 willingness to engage in peace talks.
鈥淩ight now, we see zero indication that Russia is ready for a ceasefire. Russia is not winding down its military machine, but ramping it up,鈥� Kallas said after a meeting of foreign ministers of the 27 EU nations in Brussels.
Additional pressure on Russia, such as more economic sanctions and seizing Moscow鈥檚 frozen assets, is needed to push Moscow to the negotiation table, she told a news conference: 鈥淲e still need to get from a situation where Russia pretends to negotiate to a situation where they need to negotiate.”
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McNeil reported from Brussels. Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.
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