Meeting with Trumps envoy for over 3 hours, Putin stated, The current situation is not simple.

The United States has resumed mediation between Russia and Ukraine, but the smoke of battle has not cleared, and core differences remain. The prospects for a ceasefire are filled with uncertainty. According to Xinhua News Agency, Russian President Putin met for more than three hours on the evening of the 5th at the Kremlin with U.S. President Trump's envoys, Witkoff and son-in-law Kushner. This is the latest diplomatic effort by the Trump administration to restart mediation between Russia and Ukraine, and it marks the first visit by senior U.S. representatives to Russia since January this year. At the beginning of the talks, Putin stated, "The situation we are facing today is certainly not simple," and he asked both envoys to convey his "sincerest blessings and thanks" to Trump. After the meeting, Russian presidential aide Ushakov told the media that the talks were "substantive, constructive, extremely frank, and based on mutual trust," but no joint statement was issued by either side, and the envoys declined to speak to the media after leaving the Kremlin. However, the restoration of diplomatic contact did not lead to a simultaneous de-escalation on the battlefield. Just hours before Putin's order for a 72-hour ceasefire for airstrikes on Kyiv was set to take effect, Ukraine had just endured a round of large-scale airstrikesUkraine claimed that Russia launched ballistic missiles and deployed over 160 attack drones, targeting two major airports in Kyiv and damaging infrastructure in multiple locations. Analysts pointed out that the most significant outcome of this meeting was the re-establishment of direct communication channels between the U.S. and Russia, but there is still a considerable distance to a genuine ceasefire agreement. With the U.S. back in mediation, the envoys brought a peace proposal to Moscow. On the 5th, Trump stated in the Oval Office that the two envoys "went to Moscow with a proposal to end the war," but he did not reveal specific details. According to Observer.com, the talks were held in the Kremlin Senate building, where Putin personally welcomed Witkoff and Kushner. In addition to Putin, other Russian officials in attendance included presidential aide Ushakov and Dmitriev, president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, among several senior officials. The discussions focused on the U.S. proposed plan to resolve the conflict and U.S.-Russia relations. Ushakov stated that both sides had engaged in "quite detailed" discussions on economic issues and potential cooperation projects. Before the meeting, Witkoff and Kushner had lunch with Russian envoy Dmitriev at a restaurant in Moscow. After the talks, the two left Moscow and planned to travel to Kyiv to meet with Zelensky on the 6ththis will be their first visit to Ukraine since Trump returned to the White House. Large-scale airstrikes were launched by Russian forces before the ceasefire took effect. The context of this diplomatic engagement is quite complex. According to Xinhua, during the talks, Putin provided details about the "three-day ceasefire" reached between Russia and Ukraine: Russia received requests to stop airstrikes on Kyiv through intelligence and diplomatic channels, stating, "I have issued the corresponding orders, and airstrikes on Kyiv will cease from midnight today." Putin also noted that Ukraine had significantly reduced its attacks on Russian territory (including Moscow), "reducing the number by an order of magnitude." However, just hours before the ceasefire took effect, the battlefield situation deteriorated sharply. Ukraine claimed that Russian forces launched ballistic missiles and deployed over 160 attack drones just hours before the ceasefire was to begin, hitting two major airports in Kyiv. Zelensky stated that these attacks were Russia's response to "the U.S. preparations for flying to Ukraine." Despite Putin announcing a pause in airstrikes on Kyiv, multiple air defense alerts rang out in Kyiv that afternoon, and the western city of Khmelnytskyi was also attacked, resulting in four injuries. The Russian side stressed that the pause in strikes was limited to Kyiv, aimed at creating conditions for the U.S. delegation's talks in Ukraine, and did not mean that Russian military actions would cease in other regions of Ukraine. Core differences remain unresolved, raising doubts about the prospects for a ceasefire. Although senior officials from the U.S. and Russia have resumed face-to-face communication, fundamental differences regarding ceasefire conditions remain clear. According to Observer.com, Kremlin spokesman Peskov reiterated that Russia insists on the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the resolution of the "root issues" of the conflict as prerequisites for achieving a ceasefire; Ukraine has consistently refused to accept any proposals involving territorial concessions. According to media reports citing informed sources, Putin is only willing to agree to a ceasefire on his terms, and with Moscow believing that Russian forces have the upper hand on the battlefield, its negotiating demands are becoming increasingly tough. Ushakov also stated after the talks, "The Russian side pointed out that Russian forces have achieved concrete progress on the front lines and are confident in the realization of their set goals." Additionally, the arrangement of this diplomatic itinerary has raised questions from the European Union. Jovita Neliupien, the EU ambassador to the U.S., stated in a media interview, "Diplomacy is effective, and we must ensure dialogue with our allies first," emphasizing that "Moscow has not changed its war objectives" and that Europe's top priority remains to provide Ukraine with the support it needs. Analysts: Communication channels reopened, but still far from an agreement. Overall assessments of this diplomatic engagement among markets and analysts are cautious. Sam Charap, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation, believes that the timing of the U.S. visit is "appropriate, as the current situation is rapidly spiraling out of control, and if both sides allow it to develop, it seems that the situation will continue to escalate." Alexey Gromyko, director of the European Studies Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that this visit has the opportunity to inject new momentum toward reaching mutually acceptable terms, but the key question is whether Washington is prepared to continue participating in the negotiation process, "rather than returning once every six months." Western military analysts share a similar judgment: The greatest achievement of this meeting is the restoration of direct communication channels between the U.S. and Russia and the rare synchronized halt of strikes on both capitals, but on core issues such as territorial delineation and security arrangements, there remains a considerable distance to a genuine ceasefire agreement. Previous U.S. visits to Moscow have not yielded substantial progress, so whether this visit can break the deadlock remains to be seen. This article is sourced from "Wall Street Journal," authored by Zhao Ying, with editing by Wang Qiujia.