Putin calls talks with US on ending Ukraine war ‘useful’ but also ‘difficult work’

Russian President Vladimir Putin described his recent talks with US envoys on ending the war in Ukraine as "necessary" and "useful," but also acknowledged that they were a "difficult work." The five-hour discussions took place ahead of Putin's visit to New Delhi, where he will meet with Indian officials.

The US has been pushing for a peace agreement in the nearly four-year-old conflict, which has seen significant losses on both sides. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Ukraine's lead negotiator Rustem Umerov in Miami earlier this week as part of these efforts.

Putin said that during his talks with the US team, they went through each point of their peace proposal, which he described as a "very concrete" conversation. However, some provisions were deemed unacceptable by the Kremlin.

The Russian leader did not provide further details on what Russia could agree to and what it finds unacceptable, citing the need for restraint in order to avoid disrupting the working regime of the peace effort. Putin also accused Washington of engaging in "shuttle diplomacy," where they speak to multiple parties without making concrete progress.

Despite these challenges, Trump expressed confidence that Putin wants to find a way out of the conflict, saying that his team came away from the talks with a strong impression that the Russian president is open to making a deal.

I don't usually comment but... I think it's kinda weird that Putin calls those talks "necessary" and "useful" even though they didn't seem to make much progress . I mean, he says they were a "difficult work" which is just code for "we didn't give in". And then he accuses the US of being all wishy-washy with their shuttle diplomacy thingy... it's like he's not even trying to hide his frustration . And what really got me was Trump saying that Putin wants a way out but we don't know what exactly that means . It feels like we're just keeping the peace talks going for the sake of it, without any real concrete progress .

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not getting what I want, but I still don't regret having asked." The situation in Ukraine seems really complicated and it's hard to predict what will happen next. It's good that both sides are trying to find a way out of the conflict, even if they have some differences. Hopefully, their efforts will lead to progress soon!

I'm low-key hoping that these talks between Russia and the US are actually going somewhere . Four years into this war, it's getting pretty dire on both sides. I think Putin's trying to play it cool saying they had "necessary" and "useful" talks, but we all know how diplomacy works - there's usually a whole lot of give-and-take before something concrete happens .

Trump's special envoy seems to have done their homework, meeting with Ukraine's lead negotiator and all that jazz. But Russia's being super vague about what they're willing to agree to, which is kinda concerning . Still, I'm keeping my fingers crossed (or should I say, my thumbs? ) that these talks might actually yield some progress. The world could use a break from all this conflict .

so like i dont know about this whole russia and us thing but its been going on for ages right? Putin said his talks were necessary and useful but i think he's just trying to sound good before meeting with the indians idk what exactly they talked about or what was agreed upon but its not like we're getting any info from either side so yeah its all very confusing.

omg have you seen those new avocados at whole foods? they're literally so green it's like they're still growing on the tree i swear, i just got mine yesterday and it's already giving me some weird vibes about sustainability... what's your take on that? btw, did u catch the game last night?

I'm still in shock that we're even having this convo about Ukraine and Russia . I mean, back in my day, we used to be friends with Russia, you know? We'd have these big Olympic summits and everyone would just get along... but I guess times change, right?

So, Putin's saying that his talks with the US were "necessary" and "useful"? That sounds like code for "I'm not sure what we're doing but it might work"... . And Trump thinks Putin wants a deal? Yeah, good luck with that... I mean, have you seen some of those videos from the war zone? It's not exactly a pretty sight .

And what's with this "shuttle diplomacy" thing? Sounds like they're just running around from person to person, saying the right things without actually getting anything done . I don't know, man... it just feels like we're stuck in some kind of international limbo .

Ukraine war still goin on it's been 4 yrs now and no end in sight . Putin sayin they had good talk but US not sure what's goin on . They want peace but Russia be all stubborn . Trump think he can get thru to Putin but Kremlin ain't sayin nothin . It's all so confusing and I just wanna see people gettin along . Can we just have world peace ?

omg u think its gonna happen tho?? like russian russia and usa are on opposite sides lol but idk maybe pootin is tired of this war already Putin's words seem legit tho, he did acknowledge it was a hard talk...but like what's Russia willing to give in for? & btw US is just trying 2 push their agenda hope they can actually find common ground tho maybe pootin does wanna end this war and not have us all pay the price

So great that Russia is finally having some productive talks about ending the war in Ukraine... after like 4 years of constant violence . I'm sure it's not like they've been avoiding actual negotiations until now because, you know, "dramatic flair" . Anyway, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief that Russia acknowledged some provisions were unacceptable... too bad we don't get more concrete details on what that means for the talks . On the bright side, at least Putin is taking the whole "difficult work" thing seriously – no need to pretend like he's some kind of superhero who can just magically make everything okay .

I'm not buying all this "necessary" and "useful" talk about ending the war in Ukraine . It sounds like just more empty rhetoric to me. I mean, five-hour discussions is a pretty good starting point, but what's the real takeaway from that? Putin's gonna say whatever he wants to keep everyone on his toes, and Trump's gonna spin it to fit his narrative. And don't even get me started on "shuttle diplomacy" - sounds like just another fancy term for playing both sides against each other . I need to see some concrete action before I start getting my hopes up about a peace agreement. Until then, I'll remain skeptical .

so russian and us are finally talking about peace in ukraine but let's be real, it's like they're trying to solve a rubix cube blindfolded... "necessary" and "useful" sounds like code for "we'll make some noise and go home with our dignity intact" Putin's being super diplomatic, but I bet the kremlin's inner circle is like "what about Ukraine? what about the west?" meanwhile trump thinks putin wants a deal, lol like who's he kidding? and shuttle diplomacy? that sounds like a fancy way of saying they're just not ready to give up their popcorn... guess we'll just have to wait and see if this peace talk thing actually happens

I'm not sure if this is going to sound crazy but I think we're at a point where diplomacy needs to get creative . The US and Russia are talking, which is a huge step forward, but it's like they're trying to navigate a minefield without a map . The problem is that both sides have some pretty big disagreements about what the peace agreement should look like.

I think it's great that Trump thinks Putin wants to make a deal, but I'm not convinced . We've heard this before, and we all know how that turned out . The thing is, both sides have some very powerful interests at stake here. Russia doesn't want to give up control of Ukraine, and the US doesn't want to let Putin get away with annexing more territory.

I think what's really holding things back is the lack of a clear plan . We need to see something concrete from either side before we can even start talking about a peace agreement. It's like they're trying to have a conversation without actually saying anything . Until there's some kind of compromise or middle ground, I'm not sure this will ever work out .

I'm not sure if we're really close to an end to this war yet ... I mean, it's good to hear that Putin was open to discussing a peace agreement, but five hours of talks isn't exactly what you'd call progress . And let's be real, both sides have been pretty dug in for years now, so finding common ground is going to be tough . I do think the US and Ukraine need to keep pushing for this though - we can't just sit around waiting for Russia to come to the table . And it's also good that Trump's team is still trying to broker a deal - they've got some experience with these sorts of talks, after all . Still, I think we need to temper our expectations a bit - this isn't going to be easy, and it may take a while for things to move forward .

so it seems like the US and Russia are still trying to figure out how to end this war in Ukraine . Putin's been pretty clear about what he wants - or at least, not what Russia can agree to . He's all about restraint and not wanting to disrupt the peace talks, which I get, but it's like, if you're not gonna make any moves, then what's the point?

And honestly, I'm a bit skeptical of Trump's claim that Putin wants to find a way out of this conflict . I mean, we've seen some pretty big moves from Russia on this front before, and it seems like they're only willing to make concessions if they can control the narrative themselves .

Still, at least the talks are happening, which is more than I thought was gonna happen . Maybe Putin's just trying to keep everyone happy for now, but if there's one thing we've learned from this conflict, it's that you gotta be willing to make some tough choices and take some risks if you wanna get anything done .

I'm not sure if 5 hours is really enough time to get some sort of agreement on ending this war. I mean, it's been going on for years now and there's just so much bloodshed... It seems like Putin is being pretty diplomatic about everything he said during the talks, but at the same time he's not giving away too much. I think we need to see some real action before we can start feeling hopeful again.

I've been following this war for a while now and it's just heartbreaking. The thought of innocent people having to flee their homes and live in refugee camps is just devastating... What's really concerning me is that the US seems to be playing the peace broker role, but they're not doing much on their own side. If they want this war to end, they need to step up and show Putin that they're serious about finding a solution.

I'm also worried about India getting involved in all of this. We don't know enough about their stance on the conflict yet, and it's hard to say what kind of influence they'll have on the talks. The last thing we need is for more countries to get drawn into this mess...

idk why russian and us can't just talk things thru like they do in school, ya know when u have different groups but still gotta work together for the bigger picture? Putin's all about this "necessary" and "useful" stuff, but i think it's more than that... he needs to listen to Ukraine's perspective too . And yeah, some provisions are hard to swallow, like why can't they just agree on something?! Trump thinks Putin is open to making a deal, but let's be real, diplomacy's not always easy . maybe we can learn from the peace talks at school when we're dealing with our differences in class

OMG u guys!! I'm so happy to hear that there are talks going on about ending the war in Ukraine!!! It's been such a long and hard time for everyone involved . I really hope that Putin is open to finding a peaceful solution , it would be amazing if we could finally see some progress . And I love how Trump's team is being super optimistic about the talks , they must have done something right ! Fingers crossed that we can all live in peace soon . Love this

I don't think we can just relax on this Ukraine situation yet . I mean, I'm glad some progress was made in those talks and all, but it's like, five hours isn't exactly a long time when you're dealing with such a big conflict . And what really got me is that Putin said the US team came across as "shuttle diplomacy" - that just sounds like they were winging it to me . I think we need some real, concrete steps towards peace here before anyone can start breathing a sigh of relief .

I'm still not convinced about these peace talks . I mean, it's been going on for four years already and we're just now seeing some progress? It feels like they're just trying to stall things until something sticks . Putin's being super vague about what Russia is willing to compromise on, which makes me skeptical . And don't even get me started on the "shuttle diplomacy" thing - it sounds like a fancy way of saying "we're talking to everyone but making no actual headway" . Trump thinks Putin wants out, but I'm not buying it . It's all just too rehearsed and scripted for my liking . Can't we just have some real solutions come out of these talks?