Putin is accused of feigning interest in peace

Europeans voice their impatience with talks. ‘End the bluster,’ U.K. foreign secretary says.

- By Lorne Cook AND ILLIA NovIKOV

Ukraine and its European allies accused Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday of feigning interest in peace efforts after five hours of talks with U.S. envoys at the Kremlin produced no breakthrough.

The Russian leader “should end the bluster and the bloodshed and be ready to come to the table and to support a just and lasting peace,” said U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Putin to “stop wasting the world’s time.”

The remarks reflected the high tensions and gaping gulf between Russia on one side and Ukraine and its European allies on the other over how to end a war that Moscow started when it invaded its neighbor nearly four years ago.

A day earlier, Putin accused the Europeans of sabotaging the U.S.-led peace efforts — and warned that, if provoked, Russia would be ready for war with Europe.

Since the 2022 invasion, European governments, along with the U.S., have spent billions of dollars to support Kyiv financially and militarily. Under President Trump, however, the U.S. has tempered its support — and instead made a push to end the war.

Putin's foreign affairs advisor, Yuri Ushakov, said Tuesday's talks at the Kremlin between Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were “positive,” but he wouldn't release any details.

Witkoff and Kushner are set to meet with Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Thursday in Miami for further talks, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.