As the sessions got under way, The Economist reported that US negotiators have floated redrawing the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions so Moscow could claim full control of both while leaving Ukrainian-held cities including Sloviansk and Kramatorsk under Kyiv’s administration. Washington has also considered allowing Russia back into the European energy market, building on earlier proposals reported by the Financial Times for postwar joint oil ventures off Sakhalin and resumed crude deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline. Sharp divisions remain over postwar security, with Kyiv seeking at least 10 years of financial and military backing to sustain an army of at least 800,000 troops, a commitment Washington views as too costly as it instead pushes Russia to accept NATO Article 4 and Article 5 style guarantees.

Moscow continues to demand Ukrainian neutrality and limits on the size of Kyiv’s armed forces, rejects any deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine and says the resumption of talks places no restrictions on continuing military action. While US officials said both sides had shown private flexibility on territory and that Witkoff and Kushner are pressing Russia to accept a broader multilateral format with Europe at the table, neither Washington nor European leaders expect an immediate resolution. Following a 90-minute phone call with President Vladimir Putin, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre warned that “the only voice reaching Moscow comes from Washington” and doubted the Russian leader genuinely wants peace, noting that “if he had wanted peace during these five years … the war would have ended.”