Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the US-Ukrainian peace proposal during his meeting with a US delegation in Moscow on December 2 and remains highly unlikely to accept any compromises short of his original war goals. Because Trump’s plans are always Putin’s.
March '25: Putin rejects 30-day ceasefire agreed to by Ukraine and US
May '25: Putin again rejects 30-day ceasefire
July '25: Russia rejects Trump's 50-day deadline for a ceasefire
December '25: Russia rejects US peace plan
How many more times will we let Putin do this?
As expected, Russia rejected the terms that Ukraine and the US agreed to. Russia doesn't want to negotiate anything other the terms of Ukraine's (and the West's) surrender.
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* PUTIN: IF EUROPE WANTS TO FIGHT WAR, WE ARE READY NOW
* PUTIN: EUROPEANS DO NOT HAVE PEACEFUL AGENDA, THEY ARE ON THE SIDE OF WAR
* PUTIN: EUROPEANS HINDER U.S. ADMINISTRATION AND TRUMP TO REACH PEACE THROUGH TALKS
@reuters.com
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) Dec 2, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Ukraine’s near future will be decided by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff with Ukrainians calling them “Trump’s super team”.
https://t.co/h7IwTCJoVz
Putin, Russian Presidential Aide Yuriy Ushakov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev met on December 2 with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and former Senior Advisor to the US President Jared Kushner.[1] Ushakov stated after the meeting that the US and Russian delegations discussed “several options” for a peace settlement but that they did not agree on a “compromise plan.”[2] Ushakov stated that some of the US proposals were acceptable to Russia but that Putin “made no secret” of Russia’s critical or negative attitude about others. Ushakov stated that the parties did not discuss “specific wording or specific proposals” but discussed the “essence” of the documents that the United States “submitted to Moscow some time ago.” Ushakov stated that the delegations discussed territorial issues and the “enormous prospects” for US-Russian economic cooperation. Ushakov stated that the US and Russian delegations agreed not to disclose the substance of the talks – in line with ISW’s December 1 forecast that the Kremlin was planning to refrain from publicly discussing the outcomes of the meeting to obfuscate Russia’s rejection of the US-Ukrainian peace proposal.[3] High-ranking Kremlin officials, including Putin, have been consistently rejecting the 28-point peace plan and its subsequent iterations since it was first reported in mid-November 2025 because the proposed plans did not concede to all of Russia’s maximalist war demands.[4]
understandingwar.org/…
Putin attempted to preemptively deflect blame onto Europe for Russia’s rejection of any peace plan iterations ahead of the December 2 US-Russian meeting. Putin answered journalists’ questions on December 2 ahead of the meeting and claimed that Europe is hindering US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts.[26] Putin stated that Europe created peace proposals with points that are “completely unacceptable” to Russia and that Russia will only “allow” Europe to return to the negotiation process if Europe accepts the “realities on the ground,” a phrase the Kremlin often uses to refer to Russian advances on the battlefield. Ushakov similarly stated on December 2, following the US-Russia meeting, that European leaders are engaged in “destructive actions” in the peace process.[27] High ranking Kremlin officials repeatedly indicated in recent weeks that the Kremlin was not going to accept any peace agreement that did not meet Russia’s maximalist demands, including the US-proposed original 28-point peace plan.[28] The Kremlin is likely setting conditions to blame Europe’s insertion of non-starters into any peace plan as the reason for Russia’s rejection, essentially using Europe as a scapegoat for Russia’s own obstruction of the peace process.
Putin threatened Europe to prevent Europe from engaging in the peace process. Putin claimed that Russia has no intention of going to war with Europe but would be “ready right now” should Europe suddenly want to fight Russia.[29] Putin issued a thinly veiled nuclear threat, stating that a situation would “quickly arise” should Europe start a war with Russia, in which Russia will “have no one to negotiate with.” Putin also threatened that a future Russia-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) war would not be like Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Putin claimed Russia is conducting “surgically” and “carefully.” Putin claimed that the war in Ukraine is not a war “in the literal, modern sense of the word,” threateningly implying that Russia could fully mobilize its military, economy, and society in a war against NATO. Russian State Duma deputies echoed Putin’s threats on December 2. Duma International Affairs Committee First Deputy Head Alexei Chepa claimed that there is a “dangerous trend” in Europe toward militarization and threatened that “the more you play with fire, the higher the risk of a conflagration in Europe and around the world.”[30] State Duma Defense Committee member Lieutenant General Viktor Sobolev claimed that Europe is trying to protract the war in Ukraine until a war between Russia and Europe erupts.[31] Kremlin threats against Europe likely aim to deter Europe’s involvement in the peace process as well as undermine the strengthening of Europe’s defenses out of fear of allegedly provoking Russian aggression.
understandingwar.org/...
Russian forces conducted a series of drone strikes against Ukraine on the night of December 1 to 2.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 62 Shahed-type, Gerbera-type, and other drones, of which more than 35 were Shahed-type drones, from the directions of Oryol and Bryansk cities; Millerovo, Rostov Oblast; Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai; and occupied Donetsk City and Cape Chauda, Crimea.[140] The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Ukrainian forces downed 39 drones, that 20 drones struck eight locations, and that the strikes were ongoing as of 0830 local time.[141] Ukrainian officials reported that Russian forces struck residential and energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa oblasts.[142] Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, reported that Russian strikes against Odesa Oblast left 36,300 users without power.[143]
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported that Russian forces launched more than 3,500 guided glide bombs in November 2025.[144] The Ukrainian MoD reported that Russian forces launched almost 44,000 glide bombs between January and November 2025, an average of 130 per day, up from almost 40,000 in all of 2024, an average of 109 per day.
understandingwar.org/...
Ukraine’s air defense forces shot down or jammed 39 drones overnight out of 62 launched from various directions including Bryansk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Crimea, and Donetsk. Most were Shaheds. Strikes hit 8 locations with 20 drones.
Ukrainian forces likely continued their long-range strike campaign against Russian energy and military infrastructure on the night of December 1 to 2. Russian opposition outlet Astra reported that Ukrainian forces struck the Orelnefteprodukt Oil Depot and PhosAgro phosphate fertilizer production facility in Livny, Oryol Oblast, and footage shows explosions and fires at a fuel depot in Oryol Oblast.[49] Oryol Oblast Governor Andrey Klychkov acknowledged that Ukrainian drones struck a fuel and energy facility in Livensky raion, Oryol Oblast.[50] Astra also reported and geolocated footage confirms that likely Ukrainian drones struck an FSB building in Achkoy-Martan, Chechnya, causing explosions.[51]
Key Takeaways
- Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the US-Ukrainian peace proposal during his meeting with a US delegation in Moscow on December 2 and remains highly unlikely to accept any compromises short of his original war goals.
- The Kremlin intensified its cognitive warfare effort that aims to portray a Russian victory in Ukraine as imminent in the lead up to the December 2 US-Russia meeting, likely to coerce the West into accepting Russia’s absolutist demands.
- Putin exaggerated Russia’s claimed seizure of Pokrovsk as strategically important for large scale breakthroughs. ISW has not observed evidence to confirm the complete Russian seizure of Pokrovsk, but Russia’s seizure of the town in the near future is unlikely to produce rapid Russian advances.
- Putin also intensified efforts to portray the Russian economy as resilient and able to support protracted hostilities in Ukraine in the lead up to the December 2 meeting.
- The Kremlin’s recent economic policies indicate that the Russian economy is doing markedly worse than Putin’s portrayal, however.
- Putin attempted to preemptively deflect blame onto Europe for Russia’s rejection of any peace plan iterations ahead of the December 2 US-Russian meeting.
- Putin threatened Europe to prevent Europe from engaging in the peace process.
- Russia may be trying to set information conditions to justify Russian strikes against Ukrainian ports to impose a de facto blockade of Ukraine.
- Putin may also be setting information conditions to justify Russian attempts to seize Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts, although Russia’s seizure of these regions remains unlikely at this time.
- Russian forces are modifying their Shahed-type drones to target Ukrainian air defenders.
- Russian forces recently advanced in Sumy Oblast and near Kostyantynivka, Pokrovsk, and Hulyaipole.
https://t.co/s6b6Wj3N1Z
**General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine**
*Operational information as of 22:00 on December 2, 2025, regarding the Russian invasion*
Since the beginning of this day, there have been 191 combat engagements.
Today, the occupiers launched one missile and 39 air strikes, using one missile and dropping 113 guided bombs. In addition, the Russians used 2,052 kamikaze drones and carried out 2,634 shelling attacks on the positions of our troops and populated areas.
- In the North-Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, Ukrainian defenders repelled seven Russian attacks. Since the beginning of the day, the enemy has carried out 135 shellings, including one from a multiple launch rocket system.
- In the South Slobozhanskyi direction, our troops stopped 13 enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Prylipka, Starytsia, Synelnykove, Vovchansk, and in the direction of Kolodiazne and Izbytske. Two more combat engagements are currently ongoing.
- In the Kupiansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled 12 enemy attacks in the areas of the settlements of Senkivka, Petropavlivka, Pishchane, and Nova Kruhlyakivka, with four clashes still ongoing. Kupiansk was hit by an air strike.
- In the Lyman direction, Russian invaders attempted to enter Ukrainian positions 30 times during the day in the areas of the settlements of Novovodyane, Novoyegorivka, Hrekivka, Novomykhailivka, Serednie, Karpivka, Shandryholove, Kolodyazi, Myrne, Zarichne, and in the direction of Stepove. Two battles are currently underway.
- In the Sloviansk direction, the Defense Forces repelled 11 enemy attacks near Yampil, Dronivka, Serebryanka, Siversk, and Fedorivka.
- No combat engagements have been reported in the Kramatorsk direction.
- In the Kostyantynivka direction, the Russians attacked the positions of the Defense Forces 27 times. The occupiers concentrated their main offensive efforts in the areas of the settlements of Oleksandro-Shultyne, Pleshchiivka, Shcherbinivka, Yablunivka, and Rusyn Yar.
- In the Pokrovsk direction, the invading units attempted to break through our defenses 48 times in the areas of the settlements of Volodymyrivka, Mayak, Rodynske, Chervonyi Lyman, Novoekonomichne, Pokrovsk, Kotlyne, Udachne, Molodetsk, Dachne, and in the direction of Novopavlivka.
Today, Ukrainian soldiers neutralized 130 occupiers in this direction, 90 of them irrevocably. Nineteen unmanned aerial vehicles, five vehicles, a tank, and an armored combat vehicle were destroyed, and a vehicle was damaged. In addition, five enemy infantry shelters were hit.
- In the Oleksandrivka direction, the enemy attacked 18 times in the areas of the settlements of Yalta, Tovste, Zelenyi Hai, Oleksandrohrad, Sosnivka, Verbove, Krasnohirsk, and Pryvilne.
- In the Huliaipole direction, there were five combat engagements, with the enemy attacking in the areas of the settlements of Zatyshshya, Huliaipole, and towards the settlement of Pryluky.
- In the Orikhiv direction, no enemy offensive actions were recorded.
- In the Dnipro region, Ukrainian units repelled an attempt by the occupiers to advance in the area of the Antonivsky Bridge.
- In other areas, the situation has not changed significantly.
