In an excerpt from an interview released by Russian media today, President Vladimir Putin discussed a nearly 5-hour meeting held at the Kremlin two days prior with a US delegation, which included special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump.

Putin described the exchange as useful, stating that both sides "had to examine each point" of the peace proposal put forth by the US, which accounted for the meeting's extended duration. The Russian President emphasized, "This was a necessary and very specific conversation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks via video from Moskva on 20/9. *AFP*.

Putin indicated that there were points Russia was willing to discuss, while others were "impossible to agree on." He noted, "We exchanged views on these terms, and this is difficult work."

When questioned about the relevance of the 28-point peace plan drafted by the US, Putin responded that the terms of the proposal had indeed been discussed. "They divided those 28 points, I think it was 27, into four parts. They proposed discussing these four parts, but essentially, they remain the same terms," he said.

It remains unclear whether the Russian President referred to the initial proposal or a revised version following recent talks between the US delegation and Ukraine in Switzerland.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy advisor, previously stated that multiple different documents were under discussion. "Initially, there was only one version, but this version was revised. Instead of just one document, several more appeared," he explained.

President Putin declined to specify which terms Russia accepted or rejected, deeming it "too early" to do so. No officials involved in the Kremlin meeting disclosed detailed content of the discussions.

The Kremlin leader observed that the US is engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" to find a resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. "They talk to European countries, then come to us, then meet with the Ukrainians and Europeans again," the Russian President stated.

President Trump stated on 3/12 that, following the Kremlin meeting, the US delegation believed President Putin wanted to end the hostilities in Ukraine. "They had a very strong impression that he wants to reach a deal," Trump said.

Donetsk province, Lugansk, and areas controlled by Russia (red). *Telegraph*.

Washington introduced a plan last week aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, seeking to persuade Moskva and Kyiv to accept it. The initial 28-point proposal required Ukraine to cede some territory, accept limits on its military size, and cease pursuing NATO membership.

This draft met opposition from Ukraine and European nations. Some terms were removed in an updated draft, but its content has not been publicly disclosed.

Russia currently controls an area equivalent to over 19% of Ukraine's pre-2014 territory, including the Crimea peninsula, all of Lugansk province, over 80% of Donetsk province, around 75% of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, along with small parts of Kharkov, Sumy, and Dnipropetrovsk provinces.

Pham Giang (According to AP, Reuters, RIA Novosti)