Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says Russia ‘making concessions’ in peace deal as he dispatches envoy to meet Putin

Peace plans to end the war in Ukraine were not discussed during the meetings between US officials and Russian representatives earlier this week, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Wednesday.

Ushakov said that Russia has now received the ‘latest versions’ the US proposal, news agency RIA reports.

President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree ordering Russian authorities to increase the number of people who identify as Russian and speak Russian in areas of Ukraine incorporated into Russia since its invasion in 2022.

The document titled Strategy of Russia’s national policy in the period to 2036, calls for 95 per cent of the country’s population to identify as Russian by 2036.

Ursula von der Leyen warned on Wednesday that failure to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty would set a dangerous precedent for the global order.

Speaking at a debate in Brussels on the EU’s position on the proposed plan for peace, the president of the European Commission said: “If today we legitimise and formalise the undermining of borders – we open the doors for more wars tomorrow. And this goes against any sustainable peace that we are striving for.”

She went on to say that Ukraine’s future lies in Europe, and assessed EU membership as a “core and essential” part of their security guarantee to Kyiv.

Several countries and high-profile individuals are involved in the discussions, which have resulted in public disagreements. The Independent looks at some of the key characters below.

Donald Trump and his envoys are neither honest brokers nor even allies of Kyiv’s fight to defend itself against Russian invaders. But, for a little while, it seems that Ukraine has managed to swing them away from being outright enemies.

American officials have reportedly told US media that some kind of a deal has been struck in Abu Dhabi – after last weekend’s talks in Geneva – and that the prospects for peace in Ukraine are looking good.

The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley reports:

Four people have been arrested by French police on suspicion of colluding with a foreign power, the Paris prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Three people have been placed in custody, two of which are of Russian nationality. A fourth person is being investigated.

US president Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and a host of other key US officials would come to Moscow next week for talks on a possible peace plan for Ukraine, the Kremlin said.

“As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week,” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, told Russian state television’s top Kremlin reporter, Pavel Zarubin.

Ushakov said that in addition to Witkoff “a number of other administration representatives who are involved in Ukrainian affairs” would also come to Moscow.

The Kremlin said the leak of a telephone conversation between senior Kremlin and US officials was an attempt to hinder the talks on a possible peace deal for Ukraine.

Bloomberg News reported that president Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in a telephone call with Yuri Ushakov, Russian president Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy aide, said they should work together on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and that Putin should raise it with Trump.

Bloomberg said it had reviewed a recording of the conversation and published a transcript of the call.

When asked why the call was leaked, Ushakov told Russian state television’s top Kremlin reporter, Pavel Zarubin: “To hinder, probably. It is unlikely this was done to improve relations.”

“As for Witkoff, I can say that a preliminary agreement has been reached that he will come to Moscow next week,” he said.

Steve Witkoff and Yuri Ushakov’s now leaked call happened on 14 October, a day after Trump made a triumphant visit to Israel and Egypt to celebrate sealing the Gaza ceasefire.

In the call, Witkoff advised the senior aide to Vladimir Putin on how the Russian leader should go about pitching the US president on a peace plan aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“Here’s what I think would be amazing,” Witkoff said to his counterpart during the call.

“Maybe he says to President Trump: you know, Steve and Yuri discussed a very similar 20-point plan to peace and that could be something that we think might move the needle a little bit, we’re open to those sorts of things.”

Witkoff also suggested setting up a Trump-Putin call before Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky’s White House visit later that week and suggested that Putin congratulate Trump on the Gaza agreement as an entry point into the call.

Ushakov agreed that Putin “will congratulate” and will say “Mr Trump is a real peace man.”