Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to compromise on his hardline territorial demands during a Kremlin meeting with US envoys on Thursday, while offering a short-term humanitarian truce in a contested frontline city.
The talks in Moscow followed two days of negotiations in the United Arab Emirates aimed at ending Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, RTÉ reported. Putin told US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff that Russia would not water down demands to control annexed Ukrainian regions.
💬 President #Putin to US envoys: We worked well together on humanitarian issues in #Alyoshki. There is a town in Donbass called #Konstantinovka. Some 400-500 civilians are still there. 👉 Let us do what we did in Alyoshki.https://t.co/tTSJPGV3VV pic.twitter.com/COQuwQKs1l
He also ruled out accepting foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, describing any such deployment as a “continuation of war” that Moscow would treat as a legitimate target. The comments dampened hopes raised by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who earlier said a window of opportunity existed to reach a result before 2027.
“For us, there is only one line of demarcation: The state border. Because then it will be clear and obvious: Here are we, and here are you,” Putin said during the televised opening exchange.
If a major prisoner exchange does indeed take place, the Abu Dhabi-meeting will have been worth it. That was all that could be expected, and that is all that came of it. Putin sticks to his maximum objectives. He is counting on wearing down Ukraine over the winter and driving a…
DW reported that Witkoff told CNN progress was made and that trilateral meetings involving European participants were coming. Earlier this week Kushner said the US hoped to “create a new framework” of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe that could “secure lasting peace”, while the Kremlin’s Medinsky said the world needed a “new” and “fair” security system.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejected the idea of Moscow holding a veto over continental security. “We already have a European security architecture in place,” Kallas told reporters.
Russian and Ukrainian Delegations Reach Prisoner Exchange Agreement
Despite deep disagreements over territory, the BBC reported that trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi yielded an agreement in principle between Russian and Ukrainian delegations on a large-scale prisoner of war exchange.
Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia described the discussions as one of the hardest rounds since February, noting that the Russian delegation arrived with strict directives. “I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion,” he said.
During the Kremlin talks, Putin proposed organizing a humanitarian mission to the frontline city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine, where roughly 400 to 500 civilians remain. Kyiv advisers expressed skepticism about the proposal, pointing to previous operations where Russian forces utilized short-term truces for military rotations.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy accused Musk’s satellite internet service of damaging Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian drone attacks. According to Zelenskyy, Starshield has for several days been subject to speed limits of 100mph along the frontline, which hindered Ukrainian forces’ ability to intercept Russia’s jet-powered drones.
Diplomatic Next Steps
| Event / Phase | Location | Key Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Trilateral Talks | Abu Dhabi | US, Russia, Ukraine |
| Kremlin Meeting | Moscow | Vladimir Putin, Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff |
| EPC Summit | Dublin | Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Leaders |
Following their meeting at the Kremlin, Kushner and Witkoff traveled to Dublin, where Zelenskyy was attending the European Political Community summit. Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee confirmed that Irish officials had no plans to participate in the meeting.
“These deals are very hard and complex, and this one is very emotional, very complex,” Kushner said, adding that trust between the sides remains absent.
It remains unclear whether European representatives will be granted a seat at future negotiations, or if the proposed humanitarian mission to Kostyantynivka will proceed given the skepticism from Kyiv.
