Putin calls US talks on Ukraine war 'useful' but also 'difficult work'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his five-hour talks with US envoys on ending the war in Ukraine were necessary and useful but also difficult work, with some of the proposals unacceptable to the Kremlin.

Putin's remarks to a private news channel came ahead of his visit to New Delhi on Thursday.

The Russian leader's comments come as US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are set to meet with Ukraine's lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, on Thursday in Miami for further talks, according to a senior Trump administration official who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The high-stakes talks are part of Trump's renewed push to end the nearly four-year war. The peace effort has recently gathered steam, even though reconciling Russia's and Ukraine's red lines still appears to be an uphill battle.

Trump said Wednesday that Witkoff and Kushner came away from their marathon session with Putin in the Kremlin confident that he wants to find an end to the war.

Their impression was very strongly that he'd like to make a deal, Trump said.

Tass quoted Putin as saying in the interview with the Indian channel that at the talks in the Kremlin, the sides had to go through each point of the US peace proposal, which is why it took so long.

This was a necessary conversation, a very concrete one, the Russian president said.

There were provisions that Moscow said it was ready to discuss, while others we can't agree to, Putin said.

It's difficult work, he added.