Is Ukraine war coming to an end? Trump drops hint as he meets Zelenskyy, his envoys Putin

A series of high-profile meetings has fuelled speculation that the Russia–Ukraine war may be approaching an end. Late on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with three US envoys on a possible framework to end the conflict, the Kremlin said.

The discussions came as President Donald Trump said that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had expressed a willingness to reach a deal to end the nearly four-year war. Earlier in the day, Trump met Zelensky on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

US envoys meet Putin in Moscow

The US delegation included Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Josh Gruenbaum, recently appointed by Trump as a senior adviser to the Board of Peace, which is tasked with resolving international conflicts.

Putin met the American envoys shortly before midnight in Moscow, after Trump said a deal was “reasonably close” and Witkoff indicated that negotiations had narrowed to a single unresolved issue.

The Kremlin said Putin was joined by foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and special envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Video footage released by the Kremlin showed Putin greeting the US envoys and inviting them to sit at a long oval table.

Military signalling during negotiations

Minutes after the talks began, Russia announced a patrol by strategic bomber aircraft in what it described as a routine show of military strength. The defence ministry said Tu-22M3 long-range bombers flew for more than five hours over the Baltic Sea, escorted by Russian fighter jets.

The aircraft have been used during the war to launch missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, military targets and energy infrastructure.

Territory and Nato remain sticking points

Trump has repeatedly pushed for an end to the conflict, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two, and said this week that Putin and Zelensky would be “stupid” not to reach an agreement.

While Witkoff did not specify the remaining point of disagreement, territorial control has consistently been cited by all sides. Putin has demanded that Ukraine cede the 20 per cent of the eastern Donetsk region it still controls, a condition Zelensky has rejected after years of heavy fighting.

Russia has also insisted that Ukraine abandon its ambition to join Nato and has ruled out any post-war presence of NATO troops on Ukrainian soil.

Trilateral talks planned in Abu Dhabi

Witkoff and Kushner travelled to Moscow from Davos, where they met Ukrainian officials earlier this week. Zelensky said security guarantees for Ukraine had been finalised but confirmed that the territorial issue remained unresolved.

He added that trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US would take place for the first time in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday.

War continues amid winter hardship

Ukraine is facing its harshest winter of the war amid sustained Russian missile and drone attacks on energy infrastructure, leaving hundreds of thousands without power or heating.

Asked about his message to Putin, Trump said: “The war has to end.”