Putin is ‘wasting the world’s time’

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha made this characterization of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s negotiating position on Wednesday. The day prior, U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had met Putin in the Kremlin for a four-hour negotiation that bore no fruit, much like previous U.S.-Russia talks in February and August. On Thursday, Putin stated: “It all comes down to this. Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops will leave these territories and stop fighting there.” Vladimir Putin remains the roadblock to peace.