Vladimir Putin hosted U.S. negotiators at the Kremlin on Tuesday for five hours of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, which a Russian official said was “productive.”

The discussions with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were held behind closed doors and details have not been released.

Shortly before this, Putin said that European demands for the draft peace agreement between the United States and Russia were unacceptable, adding that “if Europe wants to fight alongside us, we are ready to do so.”

The U.S. envoy traveled to Moscow after holding similar talks with Kiev representatives over the past two weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expected the U.S. team to be briefed on the situation after the meeting.

He said there was “more opportunity now than ever” to end the war, but elements of the proposals still needed to be addressed.

“Everything depends on today’s discussions,” Zelensky told a news conference in Dublin during an official visit to Ireland.

Since the deal was signed, Kyiv representatives have met twice with U.S. negotiators, including Witkov, Kushner and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 28 point peace plan – widely seen as beneficial to Moscow – circulated in November.

It appeared to support the demands of Moscow, which invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago, causing consternation in Ukraine and across Europe.

After talks with Ukraine over the weekend, the White House said the proposals were “very well developed” but details of the updated plans have not yet been confirmed.

Some key differences remain between Moscow and Kiev, namely Ukraine’s sovereignty and security guarantees over territory partly controlled by Russia.

Zelensky said on Tuesday there were “no easy solutions” and reiterated Russia’s insistence that Kyiv participate in peace discussions and agree to clear security guarantees such as joining NATO – a move that Russia has long opposed and that Trump has excluded.

“We must stop the war in such a way that Russia does not come back within a year,” Zelensky added.

As recently as last week, Putin seemed unwavering in his demands, while Zelensky has repeatedly said he would never give up control of eastern Ukraine.

As talks were ongoing on Tuesday, Trump told his cabinet in Washington that the conflict would not be easy to resolve.

“Our people are in Russia right now to see if we can solve this problem,” he said. “What a mess.”

Kyiv’s European allies rebutted the 28-point plan with their own documents, removing many of the most controversial elements, such as Washington’s admission that Donetsk and Luhansk were actually Russian.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Putin told reporters that European demands were “unacceptable” and that they were trying to hinder peace efforts.

Later, Russian foreign policy adviser Kirill Dmitriev, who was sitting at the table, called the talks “productive.”

Zelensky met with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, and several European leaders also participated virtually.

Macron said there was “no final plan to speak of” and that it could only be achieved with the participation of Ukraine and Europe.

Meanwhile, fighting continued on the front lines on Tuesday. Ukraine’s military said it was still fighting Russian troops in the key eastern city of Pokrovsk, contradicting Moscow’s claims that it had captured the city.

Russia’s Defense Ministry shared a video on Telegram claiming its troops were raising flags in the strategically important city, which they have been trying to capture for more than a year.

The eastern Ukrainian military command claimed that Russia was trying to “plant a flag” in the city so that “propagandaists” would claim that the city had been occupied. “They fled in panic and operations against hostile groups continue,” the statement said on social media.

Ukraine’s military said its forces still control the northern part of the city, where Russian forces have suffered heavy losses, while international observers have raised questions about Russia’s claims to the area.

Kiev’s military also rejected claims that Russia captured Ukraine’s northeastern border town of Vovchansk and said it had “significantly improved” its position in the northeastern city of Kupyans, which Russia claimed to have captured two weeks ago.

According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of soldiers have been killed or injured since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, along with more than 14,000 civilians.

Civilian targets including kindergartens, hospitals and residential buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged by nighttime drone or missile strikes.

The conflict between the two former Soviet states dates back to 2014, when Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was overthrown and Russia responded by annexing Crimea and supporting an armed uprising in eastern Ukraine.