Putin Discusses Russia-Ukraine Peace Plan With Witkoff, Kushner in Moscow

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Welcome back to the Global Digest, where we look at it Russia and the United States Talks on A Ukraine peace agreement, IndiaControversial cybersecurity application, mass protests in Bulgaria.

One step forward, two steps back

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with top US negotiators in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the Kremlin’s conditions for a proposed peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Washington was represented by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has long been criticized for being too tolerant of Russia, and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov also attended.

One step forward, two steps back

Tuesday’s meeting followed a flurry of diplomatic activity. Over the weekend, U.S. and Ukrainian officials met in Florida to define red lines in Kiev, and on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Witkov and Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustam Omerov.

Before Tuesday’s meeting, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said the administration was feeling “very optimistic.” But shortly before the talks began in Moscow, Putin accused Kiev’s European allies of siding with the war and trying to undermine the peace process with counter-proposals. The initial 28-point peace plan, which was drafted without Ukrainian input, included restrictions on the military in Kiev, ceding some Ukrainian territory to Russia, and preventing Kiev from joining NATO at all. The deal has since been pared down to a 19-point framework that excludes many of these demands.

“We can clearly see that all these changes are aimed at only one thing: to obstruct the entire peace process and to make such absolutely unacceptable demands for Russia,” Putin said on Tuesday in statements to reporters.

At the same time, European leaders are concerned that any agreement that does not respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty could encourage Moscow to attack NATO members. “If the Russian army is as large, if their military budget is as large as it is now, they will want to use it again,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Monday.

Putin Maintained He is committed to seeking peace and has no plans to fight Europe. But he continued: “If Europe suddenly starts a war with us, I think it will end very quickly.” He added that if Europe starts a war with Russia, Moscow will soon have “no one to negotiate with.”

Putin’s repeated threats to seize more Ukrainian territory if Kiev does not agree to Moscow’s terms have undermined foreign confidence in his promises. Russia controls more than 19% of Ukraine, having advanced this year at its fastest pace since the war began in February 2022. On Monday, Russian forces announced they had completely captured the strategic Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. On Tuesday, Putin threatened to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea after drone attacks on Moscow’s so-called shadow fleet; Kyiv denied any involvement in these attacks.

Concerns about the lack of European representation in this week’s talks have also weakened confidence in the peace process. European officials did not participate in the Florida or Moscow dialogues, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intends not to attend the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

However, Witkoff and Kushner are expected to meet Zelensky in Europe later this week.

What we follow

Cyber security application in india. New Delhi on Monday confirmed that private companies must pre-install a government app on all phones manufactured or imported for use in India within 90 days. The app, known as Sanchar Saathi, aims to “identify and report actions that may compromise communications cybersecurity,” such as phone smuggling and call center fraud. There are more than a billion active phones in India, and last year New Delhi recorded 2.3 million “cybersecurity incidents.”

However, opposition parties denounced the mandate, accusing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of using the app for mass surveillance. “Sanchar Saathi is a hacking app. There is a very fine line between reporting a scam and seeing what every citizen in India is doing on their phones,” opposition MP Priyanka Gandhi wrote on X. Sanchar Saathi has the ability to track phone locations.

In response, the Modi government appeared to back away from its initial demands. “If you don’t want to register, you don’t have to register and you can remove it at any time,” Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Tuesday, calling the app “completely optional.” New Delhi informed several major companies of the requirements last week, urging them to push the app through software updates. Indeed, Apple has vowed not to comply.

Proposal cancelled Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zeljazkov promised on Tuesday to withdraw his controversial plan for the 2026 budget. Last week, Zeljazkov’s minority government pledged to scrap the controversial proposal after widespread protests. But just days later, Jeliazkov appeared to have changed his mind, sparking another wave of demonstrations on Monday that resulted in some violent clashes.

Opposition groups have condemned Jeliazkov’s plan to raise taxes and social security contributions, saying it could harm Bulgaria’s economy ahead of its planned adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026. About half of Bulgarians oppose using the euro, with some arguing that doing so would harm the country’s sovereignty and could tempt retailers to raise prices. Many Bulgarians remain concerned about widespread government corruption and lack of investor confidence.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Jeliazkov said the government was ready to make concessions “to ensure that the budget is consensual.” However, Jeliazkov refused to give in to his demands to step down. Opposition leader Asen Vasiliev pledged to hold a vote of confidence against Zhelezkov if he did not resign within the week.

Papal diplomacy. Pope Leo XIV concluded his first foreign visit on Tuesday with an appeal to end the “horror of war” in the Middle East. “We need to change course,” Liu said during a mass in Beirut attended by about 150,000 people. The international community must “spare no effort in promoting dialogue and reconciliation processes.”

Liu’s foreign tour began in Türkiye late last month before heading to Lebanon. Experts pointed to its choice of destinations as evidence that the Vatican seeks to prioritize promoting peace and religious unity. Türkiye has repeatedly played the role of mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, and both Türkiye and Lebanon have minority Christian populations. For the first time, Liu also appeared to refer to renewed Israeli air strikes on alleged Hezbollah positions, saying on Tuesday that he could not visit southern Lebanon due to the “state of conflict and uncertainty.”

On his second foreign trip, Liu said on Tuesday that he hopes to visit Africa to discuss Christian-Muslim relations in Algeria. He also expressed his desire to travel to Argentina, Uruguay and Peru. Before becoming pope, Leo served in Peru as a missionary.

Odds and Ends

Someone was clearly lacking in the Christmas spirit. Over the weekend, a baby Jesus doll was stolen from its crib at a nativity scene in Brussels, sparking online backlash. But not everyone seems bothered by the theft. The Birth of the City received widespread criticism for its characters’ lack of facial features, including eyes, noses, and mouths. Although artist Victoria Maria Gere said the lack of characterization was such that “every Catholic, regardless of their background or origins can identify themselves” in the biblical story, some have condemned the unorthodox approach, with one center-right Belgian lawmaker comparing their faces to what he described as “zombie-like” people found in train stations.

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2025-12-02 22:03:00

1 6 minutes read