US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called three days of peace talks in Miami "productive and constructive" on 21 December, but Kremlin Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov dismissed European and Ukrainian proposals as "rather unconstructive," exposing a widening gap in how Washington and Moscow frame negotiations over Ukraine's future.
The contradictory messaging follows Putin's bellicose 17 December Defense Ministry address, where he reaffirmed Russia's maximalist war aims and threatened to seize "historical lands" if talks fail. As Zelenskyy noted in response: "The signals Putin gives are absolutely not new to us. I always said he doesn't want to end the war." The pattern suggests Russia is using talks to stall for time while consolidating battlefield gains.
Witkoff's rosy assessment
In a post on X, Witkoff said the Ukrainian delegation "held a series of productive and constructive meetings with American and European partners" over the three-day Florida summit. The talks focused on "aligning on a shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States, and Europe."
Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, echoed Witkoff's upbeat tone after meeting with the US envoy and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami, telling reporters: "Discussions are being held constructively." Whether Dmitriev was genuinely pleased or simply reinforcing a narrative useful to Moscow remains an open question.
Russia's hard line: amendments "unconstructive"
Putin's aide, Ushakov, stated that most of the proposals during the negotiations with the United States were put forward by Ukraine and Europe, and they seemed to the Kremlin representative "rather unconstructive," according to TASS.
"I am more than sure that the provisions that the Europeans have introduced or are trying to introduce with Ukrainians do not improve the documents and do not improve the possibility of achieving long-term peace," Ushakov said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had already signaled Moscow's inflexibility on 16 December. In an interview with ABC News, he insisted Russia would not compromise on its territorial demands. Moscow "cannot, in any form, compromise" on its control of five Ukrainian territories, Ryabkov said.
The complaints reflect Moscow's strategy: accept only the original US-drafted terms—which critics say favor Russia—while rejecting any modifications that strengthen Ukraine's position or security guarantees.
Stalling for time
Putin's Defense Ministry speech days before the Miami talks offered no concessions. He claimed Russian forces have "seized and firmly holds the strategic initiative across the entire frontline" and are "confidently advancing." The performance suggested negotiations serve as diplomatic cover rather than a genuine path to peace.
Former US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told CBS that Putin is "tapping along" Trump and remains fixated on maximalist objectives.
