US-Russia talks: Putin reiterates territorial claims, discusses "restoring" occupied lands
Russian President Vladimir Putin held four-hour talks with U.S. representatives, according to Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov.
The Russian dictator spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and other White House advisers.
According to Ushakov, the meeting focused on obtaining information from the Americans about their talks with Ukrainians and Europeans “and then, together, the two of us determine the parameters for further actions.”
“The main thing is that during these negotiations it was again stated that without resolving the territorial question according to the formula agreed in Anchorage, there can be no hope of achieving a long-term settlement,” Ushakov said.
In summer 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a personal meeting in Alaska, where — according to media reports — Putin continued to insist on gaining control over the entire Donbas.
“We, as Vladimir Putin emphasized, are sincerely interested in a political-diplomatic settlement [of the war]. As long as that does not happen, Russia will continue consistently achieving the goals set [for the invasion of Ukraine] precisely on the battlefield, where Russian armed forces hold the strategic initiative,” Ushakov stated.
He confirmed Russia’s participation in a trilateral meeting between representatives of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia in the UAE.
According to Ushakov, the meeting also discussed Trump’s “Peace Council.” Putin expressed readiness to allocate $1 billion from frozen Russian assets in the United States to the budget of this structure.
The remaining frozen funds in the U.S. should be directed “to the restoration of territories affected by hostilities, but only after the conclusion of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine,” Ushakov added.