--- title: "\"You said the same thing a year ago\": Kushner rebuts Putin's promise to seize Donbas within months" description: "According to the NYT, at a Kremlin meeting in early September Putin stated that Russia would seize Donbas within a few months, but Jared Kushner rebutted: \"You said the same thing a year ago.\"" date: 2026-09-18T07:26:29.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kushner-rebuts-putin-donbas-nyt-en tags: [putin, kushner, donbas, ukraine-war, trump, peace-talks] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "You said the same thing a year ago": Kushner rebuts Putin's promise to seize Donbas within months ![Jared Kushner in a suit with a headset microphone against a green leafy background during a public appearance criticizing Putin's promises to seize the Donbas](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/19/kushner-rebuts-putin-donbas-nyt/kushner-rebuts-putin-donbas-nyt-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - According to the NYT, at a Kremlin meeting in early September Putin stated that Russia would seize Donbas within a few months and was ready to strike Ukraine's energy system. - Jared Kushner rebutted: "You told us the same thing a year ago... Maybe we won't waste a year?" - Moscow called the talks more than three hours long and "constructive"; after Moscow, Trump's envoys visited Kyiv, and Kushner named the main obstacle as Kyiv's unwillingness to accept the territorial demands on Donbas. According to The New York Times, as cited by RBC-Ukraine, in early September US President Donald Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held a meeting with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. According to the outlet, the Russian leader "radiated confidence" during the talks: he stated that, in his assessment, Russian forces would seize the entire Ukrainian Donbas within a few months. In addition, Putin claimed that Russia was ready to deliver powerful strikes on Ukraine's energy system, thereby creating the preconditions for a "harsh winter" for Kyiv. ### Kushner's sharp rebuttal The key moment of the meeting, according to the NYT, was Jared Kushner's direct rebuttal. Addressing Putin, he said: "With all due respect, you told us the same thing a year ago. What are the chances that we come back here in a year and you'll say the same thing again? Maybe we won't waste a year?" The outlet notes that this exchange reflects the full complexity of the situation that has developed over more than a year and a half of the Trump administration's attempts to end Russia's war against Ukraine. ### Official Moscow reaction After the negotiations, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the meetings lasted more than three hours and took place in a "substantive and constructive" manner. According to him, the American side presented a number of considerations on possible paths to ending the war, while representatives of the Trump administration promised to take into account the assessments voiced by Putin during further negotiations with Ukraine. Russian state media, in particular, emphasized that Witkoff and Kushner are "always welcome guests" in Russia. ### Kyiv and a possible winter ceasefire Immediately after Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner visited Kyiv, where they held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. As later became known, the parties are considering the possibility of declaring a limited ceasefire this winter, in particular a mutual pause in strikes on energy infrastructure. Kushner, however, named the main obstacle in the process: according to him, the US had prepared the bulk of the agreement on ending the war, but Kyiv does not agree to Putin's territorial demands regarding Donbas. ### Contradictory data The differences between the parties' versions concern above all the tone and assessment of the meeting. The Russian side (Ushakov's statement, as well as the framing in state media) characterizes the negotiations as "substantive and constructive" and emphasizes hospitality toward the American envoys, without raising the topic of the sharp exchange of remarks. At the same time, the NYT, citing the course of the conversation, records Kushner's direct and rather harsh rebuttal to the promises to seize Donbas "within a few months." Moreover, Kushner's direct quote relies on a single primary chain — the publication by The New York Times, which was then reprinted by several Ukrainian outlets; no independent verification of the words spoken at the closed Kremlin meeting exists publicly. Both framings — "constructive dialogue" according to Moscow and "sharp rebuttal" according to the NYT — reflect different emphases, rather than mutually exclusive facts about the meeting itself. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - ["You said the same thing a year ago." Kushner rebuts Putin on the seizure of Donbas, - NYT](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vi-kazali-same-rik-tomu-kushner-zaperechiv-1789715449.html) - Украинское издание, ссылающееся на NYT, подтверждает цитату Кушнера и заявления Путина о захвате Донбасса за несколько месяцев и ударах по энергетике. - ["You told us a year ago that you'd take Donbas in a couple of months." Kushner delivers a blow to Putin ...](https://udf.name/news/main_news/293332-vy-nam-i-god-nazad-govorili-chto-za-paru-mesjacev-zajmete-donbass-kushner-otvesil-putinu-smachnuju-poschechinu.html) - Согласуется с версией NYT по сути цитаты и контексту встречи в Кремле. - ["You said the same thing a year ago": Kushner sharply answers Putin on Donbas - NYT](https://glavred.info/war/govorili-to-samoe-god-nazad-kushner-rezko-otvetil-putinu-po-donbassu-nyt-10797596.html) - Третье украинское издание, перепечатавшее NYT, подтверждает резкое возражение Кушнера. - [Putin: Witkoff and Kushner are always welcome guests in Russia](https://news.mail.ru/politics/72201693/) - Российская господача подтверждает факт визита и переговоров, но не содержит цитаты Кушнера; используется как контрастный вариант оценки встречи (см. блок «Противоречивые данные»). ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: What exactly did Kushner say to Putin about Donbas? **A:** According to the NYT, Kushner stated: "With all due respect, you told us the same thing a year ago. What are the chances that we come back here in a year and you'll say the same thing again? Maybe we won't waste a year?" ### Q: How did Moscow assess the course of the negotiations? **A:** Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that the talks lasted more than three hours and took place in a substantive and constructive manner; the American side presented considerations on ending the war and promised to take Putin's assessments into account in dialogue with Ukraine. ### Q: What main obstacle in the negotiations did Kushner name? **A:** According to him, the US had prepared the bulk of the agreement on ending the war, but Kyiv does not agree to Putin's territorial demands regarding Donbas. ### Q: Is a ceasefire being considered? **A:** Yes, according to available data, Ukraine and Russia may declare a limited winter ceasefire, in particular a mutual pause in strikes on energy infrastructure.