President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia did not want a war with European powers, but was ready to fight if Europe did want a direct conflict with Moscow. The Kremlin chief accused European powers of hindering U.

They came shortly after Putin said European demands over a US-Russia draft peace place were unacceptable, adding that "if Europe wants to fight with us, we are ready to do so". The US envoys went to Moscow after similar talks with delegates from Kyiv in the last fortnight.

President Vladimir Putin warned European powers on Tuesday that if they started a war with Russia then Moscow was ready to fight and that the defeat of European powers would be so absolute that there would be no one left to even negotiate a peace deal.

Five hours of talks between Putin and US negotiators were “constructive”, Kremlin officials say, but “a lot of work lies ahead”.

U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law Jared Kushner will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for talks on a possible way to end the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

The Kremlin said Vladimir Putin held “very useful” talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner though the sides failed to reach agreement on a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Talks in Moscow between President Putin and the US envoy, Steve Witkoff, about a peace plan for Ukraine have ended without a breakthrough. Russian negotiators described the meeting as productive and useful,