Deep divisions remain on core issues as new peace talks expected

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a U.S. delegation is expected to visit Moscow in the first half of next week. On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian and U.S. representatives will hold talks later this week. As the new round of contacts takes shape, major differences on key issues persist.

Putin said the U.S.-proposed 28-point plan on Ukraine could serve as a basis for future agreements, but no final proposal has been reached.

"It would be impolite of me to talk about any final options now, since there are none. But some things are fundamental," Putin said at a press conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

He noted that the U.S. side has, in some respects, taken Russia's position into account, referring to discussions held before and after his August meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska.

"Somewhere we definitely need to sit down and seriously discuss some specific things," Putin said.

"We need to put everything into diplomatic language because it's one thing to state in general terms that Russia does not plan to attack Europe. Frankly, that sounds ridiculous. We never had any intention of doing that," he said.

Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, said on Thursday that Ukraine's negotiation team is preparing for a constructive dialogue aimed at achieving tangible progress toward ending the crisis.

"The key goal we share with our partners remains unchanged – to achieve a lasting and dignified peace for Ukraine as soon as possible," Yermak wrote on Telegram. He said on Tuesday that negotiators had reached agreement in principle on most elements of the plan, but that the document had been significantly revised from the original 28 points.

Despite multiple revisions, Washington's peace plan remains vague in detail, and Moscow and Kyiv continue to diverge sharply on fundamental issues.

Sources say three issues remain sensitive "red lines" long held by Ukraine – and key concerns for Russia: whether Ukraine must give up territory in the Donbas region, whether its military should be capped at 600,000 personnel and whether Ukraine must forgo joining NATO. These differences are seen as decisive to the success of the negotiations.

Chen Yu, deputy director of the Eurasian Studies Institute at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said the gap between the two sides remains wide.

According to Chen, Russia demands full control of Donbas and the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the remaining Kyiv-held areas. For Ukraine, however, those areas are crucial defensive positions. The U.S. proposal offers a new idea: Ukrainian troops withdraw, Russia takes control and the area becomes a demilitarized zone. "Whether Kyiv could accept this arrangement remains uncertain," Chen said.

Chen also noted that Russia insists on legally preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, while Ukraine seeks to preserve its future membership prospects. For Europe, granting Russia veto power over NATO enlargement is unacceptable – another major point of deadlock.

Additionally, Russia has called for the "demilitarization" of Ukraine, but the U.S. plan envisions capping Ukraine's troop levels at 600,000 – more than twice the size of its pre-conflict military. Chen said this, too, is difficult for Moscow to accept.