Putin Confirms U.S. Talks for Next Week, Dashing Hopes for Immediate Peace Deal

Putin Confirms U.S. Talks for Next Week, Dashing Hopes for Immediate Peace Deal

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed today that the Kremlin is ready for "serious" discussions regarding the Ukraine conflict, announcing that a high-level U.S. delegation will arrive in Moscow next week.

The timeline of the visit effectively precludes the finalization of a comprehensive peace framework by the end of Thursday, extinguishing speculation of an overnight diplomatic breakthrough.

While markets and observers have been monitoring a potential November 27 deadline for a peace agreement, the scheduling of these high-level talks for next week signals that while negotiations are advancing, a final signature from Kyiv on a U.S.-approved plan is not imminent.

Diplomatic Surge The Moscow announcement follows signals from President Donald Trump, who spoke from Air Force One earlier this week. Trump confirmed that U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Moscow to "resume talks," potentially accompanied by Jared Kushner. Trump characterized the negotiations as progressing, referencing a revised proposal that has been scaled down from an initial 28-point plan to a 19-point framework.

This public formalization follows a week of opaque, intensive diplomacy. On November 24, U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll reportedly met with Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi. Following those meetings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled cautious openness to the revised structure, describing it as "more aligned" with Ukraine's security needs than previous iterations.

Friction Points Remain Despite the shift from backchannel maneuverings to formal engagement, the path to a resolution remains fraught. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov publicly stated that Moscow would not make territorial concessions or abandon its key objectives, demanding the U.S. first create "proper conditions" for contact.

Simultaneously, the Trump administration faces domestic headwinds. A group of Republicans in the U.S. Senate has reportedly initiated a discharge petition to force a vote on new sanctions legislation. This move could limit the White House’s ability to offer sanctions relief—likely a key bargaining chip in the upcoming Moscow talks.

Timeline Realities For market observers, the implications are clear: a final deal will not materialize within the current 24-hour window. The focus now shifts to next week’s meetings in Moscow, which will determine if the revised 19-point plan can serve as the foundation for a summit between Trump and Putin, or if the Kremlin’s demands will stall the process further.