The Russia-Ukraine peace talks in 2025, driven largely by U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to end the three-year war, have seen intense diplomatic activity but little concrete progress. Hosted primarily in Saudi Arabia, with discussions in Paris and St. Petersburg, the negotiations involve complex demands, deep mistrust, and conflicting goals, leaving both sides far from a lasting deal. Below is a detailed overview of the current state of talks, key developments, and the challenges ahead, based on reports from The New York Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post.
Current Status of Talks
Negotiations resumed in 2025 after Trump’s inauguration, building on failed 2022 talks in Belarus and Turkey that nearly produced a draft treaty, per Wikipedia. That agreement would have seen Ukraine abandon NATO ambitions, limit its military, and accept security guarantees from Western nations without recognizing Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but it collapsed over disagreements and the Bucha massacre. Recent efforts have centered on Saudi Arabia, with U.S. officials like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff meeting Russian counterparts, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and envoy Kirill Dmitriev, as noted in The Washington Post. A key meeting occurred on February 18 in Riyadh, followed by talks on March 24 focusing on a Black Sea ceasefire, per Reuters.
Ukraine agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day frontline ceasefire on March 11, with Zelenskyy urging Russia to follow suit, according to CNN. However, Russia rejected a broader 30-day truce, demanding concessions like a freeze on Ukrainian recruitment and arms imports, which Kyiv deemed unacceptable, per The New York Times. A limited 30-day pause on energy infrastructure strikes was agreed upon, but both sides accused each other of violations, undermining trust. On April 18, Bloomberg reported the U.S. shared a concrete peace plan with European allies in Paris, proposing a ceasefire with Russia keeping occupied territories and Ukraine dropping NATO hopes—a plan Moscow hasn’t accepted, per Reuters.
Key Players and Positions
Russia: President Vladimir Putin has maintained maximalist demands, including Ukraine’s recognition of Russian control over Crimea and four annexed regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson), even areas it doesn’t fully occupy, as Reuters reported. Putin insists on Ukraine’s “demilitarization,” “denazification,” and permanent neutrality, rejecting NATO expansion or peacekeepers, per Reuters. He’s shown no willingness to compromise, citing battlefield gains and a resilient economy growing over 4% annually despite sanctions, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed for inclusion in talks, criticizing U.S.-Russia meetings that excluded Kyiv, per The Guardian. He’s open to a ceasefire and has floated diplomatic recovery of occupied territories, but rejects surrendering sovereignty or legitimizing Russian gains, per CNN. Zelenskyy’s “victory plan” from October 2024 proposed NATO protection for Ukraine-controlled areas, but he’s signaled flexibility for peace, per Wikipedia.
United States: Trump has prioritized a quick deal, holding calls with Putin (February 12) and Zelenskyy, and sending envoys to Saudi Arabia, per Wikipedia. Frustrated by slow progress, he’s threatened tariffs on Russian oil (25%-50%) if Putin doesn’t comply, per Reuters. Rubio warned on April 4 that the U.S. won’t tolerate “endless negotiations,” giving Russia weeks to prove seriousness, per The New York Times. However, internal divisions exist—envoy Keith Kellogg dismissed 2022’s Istanbul talks as a starting point, unlike Witkoff, per Reuters.
Europe and Allies: European leaders, wary of Trump’s approach, want a stronger role. France’s Emmanuel Macron proposed a one-month truce and discussed deploying peacekeepers, which Russia mocked, likening him to Napoleon, per Reuters. Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered to host talks, calling himself a “reliable mediator,” per Wikipedia. The UK, France, and Germany have criticized Russia’s stalling, with British Foreign Minister David Lammy accusing Putin of “obfuscating,” per Reuters.
Challenges and Sticking Points
Territorial Disputes: Russia controls about 18% of Ukraine (113,000 square kilometers), including Crimea and parts of four regions, and demands Kyiv cede these, per Reuters. Ukraine insists on regaining all territory, though Zelenskyy has suggested diplomatic solutions, per Wikipedia. The U.S. plan floated in Paris would freeze the current frontline, leaving Russia with gains, which Kyiv hasn’t endorsed, per Bloomberg.
NATO and Security Guarantees: Russia’s demand for a NATO-free Ukraine clashes with Kyiv’s push for NATO protection as a security guarantee, per The Guardian. The U.S. ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine in February talks angered Kyiv and Europe, per The Washington Post, complicating trust.
Ceasefire Violations: The energy strike pause was breached, with Ukraine accusing Russia of bombing civilians and Russia claiming Kyiv hit its oil sites, per The New York Times. A Russian missile strike on Sumy during March 24 talks killed 88, highlighting the gap between rhetoric and action, per Reuters.
Russia’s Stalling Tactics: Analysts say Putin is playing for time, leveraging battlefield advances and Ukraine’s manpower shortages, per the Council on Foreign Relations. His rejection of a 30-day truce and demands for sanctions relief (e.g., on Rosselkhozbank) give Russia leverage, per The New York Times.
U.S. Pressure on Kyiv: Trump’s team has privately criticized Ukraine’s negotiation stance and pushed for a minerals deal, accusing Zelenskyy of backtracking, per Reuters. This has strained U.S.-Ukraine ties, with Zelenskyy postponing a Saudi visit over exclusion fears, per The Washington Post.
Sentiment and Outlook
The mood is one of cautious hope mixed with deep skepticism. Ukrainian officials like Mykhailo Podolyak call Russia’s peace talk rhetoric “absurd” amid ongoing attacks, per The Guardian, while European allies like France’s Jean-Noël Barrot demand Russia prove its sincerity, per Reuters. In the U.S., Trump’s frustration is growing—he’s “pissed off” at both Putin and Zelenskyy, per The Guardian, and Rubio’s April 18 warning that Trump may abandon talks without quick progress signals impatience, per Reuters. Analysts at the Atlantic Council argue a sustainable peace requires stronger European military support for Ukraine, like closing its skies, to counter Russia’s intransigence.
A ceasefire in 2025 is more likely than a full peace deal, per Newsweek, but it risks becoming a “frozen conflict” like Korea’s DMZ, not addressing core issues like territory or Ukraine’s geopolitical alignment. Russia’s demands—unchanged since 2022—suggest Putin sees no need to budge, banking on Ukraine’s fatigue and waning Western aid, per the Council on Foreign Relations. For a deal to stick, Ukraine needs robust security guarantees, which Europe might provide if U.S. support falters, per the Atlantic Council.
What’s Next?
Talks are ongoing, with no confirmed date for the next round after April’s Paris and Rome meetings. Trump’s team is exploring new sanctions to pressure Moscow, but their impact is uncertain given Russia’s $3 billion in U.S. exports, per the Council on Foreign Relations. Zelenskyy’s push for inclusion and Europe’s call for a deadline (e.g., Finland’s April 20 proposal) could shape the next steps, per The Guardian. Without Russia softening its stance or Ukraine gaining battlefield leverage, a breakthrough remains elusive.