The Latest: US envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, taking a draft peace plan that Washington hopes can bring about an end to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine.

Putin, however, ahead of the talks accused Ukraine’s European allies of sabotaging U.S.-led efforts to end the war, calling their demands “absolutely unacceptable.”

U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner would join the meeting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He said the talks would take “as long as needed” and involve only Witkoff, Kushner and an interpreter from the U.S. side.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Ireland during his European tour to sustain support against Russia’s invasion.

According to a draft of Trump's plan obtained last month by The Associated Press, it would cede land to Russia and limit the size of Kyiv’s military. Ukraine and European allies have been working with U.S. officials to amend the plan.

Here is the latest:

Asked about a possible meeting between Putin and Trump, Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, said it depended on the progress of the peace effort.

When pressed about whether peace was closer or further, Ushakov said: “Not further, that’s for sure.” “But there’s still a lot of work to be done, both in Washington and in Moscow. That’s what’s been agreed upon. And contacts will continue,” the official said.

Ushakov said “so far, a compromise hasn’t been found” on the issue of territories, “without which we see no resolution to the crisis.” While both sides could agree “on some things,” there were also proposals that evoked Moscow’s criticism and “even negative attitude,” he said. He called the conversation that lasted for five hours “rather useful, constructive and rather substantive” and said the work will continue.

Referring to the talks in a post on social platform X, Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev simply wrote “productive.”

After the end of the talks, U.S. envoy Witkoff was seen arriving at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. There were no immediate statements to the media.

The talks lasted for almost five hours and both sides have yet to make a statement.

Talks between the U.S. and Russian delegations have now passed the 3-1/2 hour mark.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects to be briefed by the U.S. delegation immediately after the meeting ends.

Putin is now meeting with Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow for talks on ending the fighting in Ukraine.

The meeting comes days after U.S. officials held talks with a Ukrainian delegation on the U.S. peace plan. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters it was “productive” but more work needed to be done.

Putin also threatened retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on vessels carrying Russian oil in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone. He said Moscow would expand the range of its strikes against Ukrainian ports and ships.

He also said Moscow would “consider the possibility” of retaliatory measures against the vessels of countries helping Ukraine to carry out such strikes.

Putin has accused Ukraine’s European allies of sabotaging U.S.-led efforts to end the war, asserting that “they don’t have a peace agenda, they’re on the side of the war.”

The Russian leader accused Europe of amending peace proposals with “demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia,” thus “blocking the entire peace process,” only to blame Russia for it.

His remarks were in line with the narrative that Russia pushed after Trump came to office earlier this year and initiated talks with Moscow.

Speaking with journalists, Putin asserted that Moscow’s troops had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk. He said it has “special significance” because “from this base, from this sector, the Russian army can easily advance in any direction that the General Staff deems most promising.”

Putin invited foreign journalists to visit Pokrovsk.

Ukraine has denied that Russian troops have taken control of the city. Ukraine’s General Staff described Putin’s new statements as “a propaganda stunt.” It said on social media that the Ukrainian army was preparing additional routes to deliver supplies to troops in the area.

Speaking at a press conference in Dublin, Zelenskyy said: “There are now 20 points that were drafted in Geneva, and were finalized in Florida. Some things still have to be worked on.

“From what I’ve seen, America takes serious steps to end the war in one way or another. And our mission, I am sure this is our common mission, of everyone in Europe, is to truly and this war and not just make a pause in hostilities.

“We need decent peace, and for it to truly happen, every one has to be on the side of peace.”

Ireland’s leader announced 125 million euros ($145 million) in new funding for Ukraine during President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Dublin on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Micheál Martin said his government will provide 100 million euros in non-lethal military assistance and 25 million euros to support Ukraine’s energy system.

He said Russia has been “deliberately, cynically” attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as winter approaches.

Martin said Ireland would try to push forward negotiations on Ukraine joining the European Union, saying: “Ukraine is part of our European family. It shares the same values. It belongs in the European Union.”

Zelenskyy was received at Government Buildings in Dublin by an honor guard and a military band playing the Ukrainian and Irish national anthems.

Earlier he visited President Catherine Connolly at her official residence. He wrote in the visitor’s book: “On behalf of the people of Ukraine, I express my sincere gratitude for Ireland’s steadfast support during our fight against Russian aggression.”

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, Russian soldiers hold a Russian national flag in Pokrovsk, a city in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and the Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin gesture to each other as they take part in a joint press conference in Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reacts as he takes part in a joint press conference with the Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, listens to the Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin as they hold a joint press conference in Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

CAPTION CORRECTS SPELLING OF NAME Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, poses with the Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin upon his arrival at Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors on Wednesday as airstrikes pounded Tehran and U.S. President Donald Trump again made contradictory statements about whether he was ready to wind down the war or escalate it.

Trump struck a belligerent tone Wednesday in a Truth Social post, demanding that Iran stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz — the waterway vital to global oil supplies — or the U.S. would bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages.” A day earlier, Trump said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz; that was an apparent backtrack from a previous threat to attack Iran's power grid if it didn't open the strait by April 6.

Trump, who is scheduled to give a televised address Wednesday evening, said Tuesday he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks once he felt confident Iran would not be able to build a nuclear weapon — even if Tehran does not agree to a ceasefire. The hint of an end in sight has buoyed Wall Street the past two days.

His latest Truth Social post struck a harder line as more American troops move into the region for a possible ground offensive after weeks of airstrikes targeting Iran.

Trump also claimed Wednesday that “Iran's New Regime President” wanted a ceasefire. It wasn't clear to whom the U.S. president was referring since Iran still has the same president. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump's claim “false and baseless,” according to a report on Iranian state television.

Speaking earlier to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting. “You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”

Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has offered shifting objectives and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional U.S. troops are currently heading to the Middle East, and speculation abounds about the purpose of their deployment.

Just days ago, Trump threatened to attack Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub. And there has also been speculation about whether the U.S. could decide to send in military forces to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile — a complex and risky operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, according to experts and former government officials.

Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing Iran alongside the U.S. — might play in any of these scenarios.

Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war as oil prices have skyrocketed, pushing up the cost of gasoline, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war, though it declined slightly on Wednesday and traded at around $101 a barrel.

The U.S. has presented Iran with a 15-point plan aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for its nuclear program to be rolled back.

Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. And in a report last week by Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster, an anonymous official was quoted as saying Iran had its own demands to end the fighting, including retaining sovereignty over the strait.

In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the U.S. could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.”

He warned against any U.S. attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.”

In a deal ostensibly to give diplomacy a chance, U.S. officials have given “clear assurances” that Araghchi and Iran's Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf won't be targeted, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media Wednesday a letter addressing U.S. citizens, saying that before the war, his country had pursued negotiations, but that the U.S. chose to withdraw from that path. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war? Was there any objective threat from Iran to justify such behavior?” Pezeshkian asked in the letter posted in English on his X account.

A cruise missile slammed into an oil tanker off Qatar’s coast Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said. The crew was evacuated and no casualties were reported. A Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai the day before, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war.

In the United Arab Emirates, a person was killed when he was hit by debris from an intercepted drone in Fujairah, one of the country’s seven emirates.

In Kuwait, the state-run KUNA news agency said a drone hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a large fire.

Jordan’s military said it intercepted a ballistic missile and two drones fired from Iran in the last 24 hours. No casualties were reported. Two drones were also intercepted in Saudi Arabia.

In Israel, sirens sounded to warn of incoming missiles and AP reporters heard loud booms in Tel Aviv as the windows of buildings shook from the reverberations. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

An airstrike on Tehran appeared to have hit the former U.S. Embassy compound, which has been controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard since American diplomats were held hostage there in 1979. Witnesses said buildings outside the massive compound had their windows blown out.

In Lebanon, at least five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood.

Israel invaded southern Lebanon after the Iran-linked Hezbollah militant group began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the war. Many Lebanese fear another prolonged military occupation.

More than 1,200 people have been killed in Lebanon and more than 1 million displaced, according to authorities. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

In Iran, authorities say more than 1,900 people have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, while 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

A young girl is comforted by her father and Israeli soldiers as they take cover in a bomb shelter during air raid sirens warning of incoming Iranian missile strikes in Bnei Brak, Israel, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A man feeds stray cats in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Firefighters and rescue workers work at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

A firefighter extinguishes a car at the site of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Israel's rescue teams and residents take shelter as sirens sounds next to a site struck by an Iranian missile in Bnei Brak, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

A police vehicle is seen through a shattered windshield at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Two men ride scooters past charred debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)