Ukraine’s NATO membership ‘key question’ in US talks: Russia

Russian and US negotiators met in Moscow for almost five hours but there are no signs of any breakthrough.

Ukraine’s desire to join NATO was a “key question” discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior American officials during talks in Moscow, the Kremlin says.

Putin’s top aide, Yury Ushakov, made the comment on Wednesday, the day after an almost five-hour meeting between Putin and Washington officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner failed to deliver a breakthrough in Ukraine peace negotiations.

“The American partners have confirmed their readiness to take into account our considerations and our key proposals,” Ushakov told reporters.

While Kyiv argues it must join NATO to protect itself against future Russian aggression, Moscow says Ukraine must never be allowed to join the military alliance.

Another significant area of disagreement is territory, with Ushakov saying shortly after the Witkoff meeting that “no compromise” has been found on regions Russia captured and plans to keep.