President Donald Trump has sent his trusted special envoy to Moscow for urgent talks with Vladimir Putin,because a revised Ukraine peace deal is causing some tension. A U.S. official said on Tuesday that Ukraine had agreed to a new 19-point framework, which gives more control to Kyiv and the U.S. regarding security and disputed territories.
Russia was frustrated by the update. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov warned that if the revised plan “erased… key understandings” made between Putin and Trump at their Alaska summit in August, then “the situation will be fundamentally different.” The warning set off alarm inside Washington, where officials say Putin may reject the updated terms “out of hand” because they remove concessions he previously supported.
On Truth Social, Trump said the original 28-point proposal had been “fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides,” adding that only “a few remaining points of disagreement” remained. He confirmed he had dispatched special envoy Steve Witkoff, who helped craft the Gaza peace agreement, to meet Putin in Moscow.
Trump also said he hopes to meet both Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin “soon,” but only “when the deal to end this war is final.” Reports earlier on Tuesday suggested Zelensky had accepted the revised plan, fueling hopes for progress. But skepticism grew as more details emerged about what had been changed.
The updated proposal removes previous amnesty guarantees for war-time atrocities and raises Ukraine’s troop cap to 800,000 soldiers. Earlier drafts had limited the army to 600,000 and included controversial clauses like ruling out NATO membership permanently and handing parts of the Donbas region to Russia as a demilitarized area. Those provisions have now been shelved or heavily amended.
President @realDonaldTrump on Ukraine-Russia:
I think we are getting very close to a deal.
We will find out. pic.twitter.com/Ev0QSk0zkd
— Sofia Rousseau Dracopoulou 💯45/47🕊️🥇♥️🇺🇸🦅💪 (@SDracopoulou) November 25, 2025
Zelenskyy confirmed ongoing talks with Washington in a post on X, writing, “I am grateful for all of America’s efforts and personally for President Trump’s efforts.” Behind the scenes, there was a lot of diplomatic effort. U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met Russian delegates in the United Arab Emirates on Monday after separate weekend talks with Ukraine in Geneva. A U.S. official said the meetings were aimed at “pushing the peace forward.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States had made “tremendous progress” bringing both sides to the table, while acknowledging that “a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details” still required further negotiation. Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Tolbert said talks with Russia were “going well” and that officials remained “optimistic.” Driscoll’s role itself is unusual because senior military officials are not usually tapped for diplomatic negotiations.
Ukrainians Resist Pressure from Russia—and Trump – The Wall Street Journal. https://t.co/ZpW6xmC412
— Cheryl Hochhalter (@hochhalterchery) November 25, 2025
His elevation came after Trump met privately with Vice President JD Vance two weeks ago. The talks unfolded as Russia launched a new wave of overnight strikes across Kyiv. Ukraine responded with its own barrage on Russian territory.
Amid the violence, Russia criticized the updated proposal from European leaders. Putin’s adviser Yuri Ushakov said changes pushed by Britain, the EU and Ukraine were “unconstructive.” At the G20 summit, leaders from Europe, Canada and Japan said the plan had “essential” elements but required more work, particularly on territory and Ukraine’s military limits.
For now, Trump’s envoy is in Moscow trying to bridge the widening gap. Whether Putin accepts the changes, or walks away, may determine the way forward.
