European defense ministers have voiced their concerns regarding Ukraine’s peace prospects, indicating that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s continuing aggression makes peace difficult to attain.
As these discussions unfold, the United States is moving ahead with talks with Moscow.
On Friday, Steve Witkoff, a top official from the Trump administration, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, initiating their dialogue with a handshake.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin and Witkoff were expected to talk about Ukraine, presenting an opportunity for Russia to share its positions with Trump.
RIA Novosti reported Peskov as mentioning that a potential meeting between Putin and Trump could also be on the agenda.
“The painstaking work continues. Naturally, Witkoff, as a special representative of President Trump, will convey something from his president to Putin. Putin will listen to it. The conversation will continue on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement,” Peskov said, according to TASS.
Witkoff, who serves as Trump’s foreign envoy, additionally met with Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev earlier in the day.
The Kremlin confirmed his agenda for Saturday includes high-level talks in Oman regarding Iran.
These United States meetings with Russian officials are taking place while key allies of Ukraine congregate in Brussels.
During this gathering, the defense ministers from the United Kingdom and Germany underscored that Putin’s actions remain aggressive towards both military and civilian areas, despite his claims of desiring peace.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting, co-hosted by the UK and Germany, saw an impressive group of roughly 50 nations, established during the Biden administration by former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, come together to strategize further military support for Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remarked in a post-meeting news conference, “Given Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, we must concede peace in Ukraine appears to be out of reach in the immediate future.”
He assured that Ukraine would continue to receive extensive military backing, emphasizing that Russia must understand its campaign against Ukraine is met with unwavering support.
British Defense Secretary John Healey pointed out that Friday marked a month since Russia rebuffed President Trump’s suggested peace settlement.
Healey criticized Putin’s consistency in expressing a desire for peace while simultaneously refusing a total ceasefire and obstructing negotiations.
“Putin said he wanted peace, but he rejected a full ceasefire. Putin said he wanted peace, but he continues to drag his feet and delay negotiations. Putin said he wanted peace, but his forces continue to fire on Ukraine, military and civilian targets alike,” Healey stated.
This incident marks the first instance since the group’s inception in 2022 that a senior Pentagon official attended the meeting virtually.
It arrives amid a series of policy transitions within the Trump administration that some interpret as a shift towards closer relations with Moscow.
While Austin avoided an in-person gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in 2024 due to health complications, he was represented by a senior Pentagon policy official.
Minister Pistorius addressed the virtual attendance of the US after the meeting by stating it was not within his purview to comment on the implications it could have.
He asserted that the scheduling of the US attendee was not indicative of any priorities.
The British defense minister reiterated his robust support for Ukraine, advocating for increased pressure on Putin.
In an emphatic statement, Healey proclaimed, “Our commitment is to put Ukraine in the strongest position to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and deter future Russian aggression.”
After the meeting, new pledges of military aid totaling more than €21 billion ($23.8 billion) were announced, which Healey termed “a record boost in military funding for Ukraine.”
Germany has committed an extra €11 billion ($12.5 billion) in military support to Ukraine through the year 2029, incorporating IRIS-T mobile air defense missile systems and PATRIOT missiles, as informed by Ukraine’s defense minister from Brussels.
In addition, the United Kingdom and Norway are jointly providing an additional $589 million in military assistance, focusing on vehicle maintenance, radar systems, anti-tank mines, and hundreds of thousands of drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that air defense systems constitute a top priority for Kyiv.
“We just need to address the shortage of air defense systems to make our sky protection stronger,” he said.
Zelensky urged partners to assist in expediting the implementation of previous agreements, stating, “Patriots that remain unused in storage with our partners should be protecting lives.”
Earlier this week, Zelensky warned that Russia was “preparing” for a new offensive, following multiple reports that indicated an uptick in Russian military operations across the front lines.
Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi disclosed in a statement that Russia had “already begun” this new offensive focusing on the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
In addition to the broader military landscape, a recent United Nations report revealed a significant rise in civilian casualties in Ukraine due to Russian attacks in March, marking a shocking 50% increase from the previous month.
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine reported that at least 164 individuals were killed and 910 were injured throughout March.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated that Friday’s meeting was the first for the absence of a US defense secretary. It is the first instance where a senior Pentagon official has not attended in person.
CNN’s Matthew Chance, Svitlana Vlasova, Clare Sebastian, and Catherine Nicholls contributed to this report.
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