Zelenskyy visits Europe; Trump aide meets Putin as peace efforts advance

US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, taking to the Kremlin an embryonic peace plan that Washington hopes can end the four-year war in Ukraine.

Coinciding with Witkoff's trip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Ireland, continuing his visits to European countries that have helped sustain his country's fight against Russia's invasion.

After months of frustration in his efforts to stop the fighting, US President Donald Trump is deploying officials to get traction for his peace proposals. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, joined the meeting between Putin and Witkoff, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. He said the talks would take “as long as needed” and would involve only Witkoff, Kushner and an interpreter from the US side. The talks have followed parallel lines so far, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sitting down with Ukrainian officials, and now Witkoff in Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian President Putin on Tuesday said Russia did not want a war with European powers, but was ready to fight if Europe did want a direct conflict with Moscow. He accused Europe of hindering US efforts to end the war by putting forward proposals unacceptable to Moscow.