NATO leaders meet after Putin rejects peace deal on Ukraine
What's the story
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) foreign ministers are convening in Brussels for their first meeting since a draft peace plan to resolve the Ukraine conflict was released. The plan has been criticized as a "Russian wish list" and includes conditions such as Ukraine never joining NATO and no new members from Eastern Europe. Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized that any updated peace plan involving NATO must include input from the alliance.
Stalled negotiations
US negotiators' talks with Russia yield no breakthrough
The NATO meeting also comes after US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held five hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on securing a Ukraine peace deal. The meeting was described as "constructive" by a Kremlin spokesman, but no breakthrough was achieved. "We could agree on some things...Other things provoked criticism - and the president also didn't hide our critical and even negative attitude toward a number of proposals," Putin's senior aide Yuri Ushakov said.
Ongoing disputes
Disagreements persist over Ukraine's territorial concessions
Key disagreements remain between Moscow and Kyiv, particularly over Ukraine ceding territory it controls and security guarantees from Europe. Another particular sticking point relates to Russia's demand that Ukraine cede control of the entire Donbas region, which has caused alarm among European leaders. Nonetheless, Ushakov described the negotiations as "rather useful, constructive and rather substantive." "Some of the American proposals seem more or less acceptable, but they need to be discussed," Ushakov said.
Ongoing conflict
Putin warns Europe
Speaking ahead of the talks, Putin slammed European leaders for supporting Kyiv's defensive war effort since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. "They are on the side of war," Putin said of European powers. He said his country "wasn't planning to go to war with Europe - but if Europe suddenly wants to go to war and starts one, we are ready right now."