Vladimir Putin warned US negotiators that Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, maintaining a hardline stance during Kremlin talks on Thursday.
The high-stakes meeting between Putin and US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff unfolded as the Ukrainian military faced renewed disruptions to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service, according to The Guardian. The discussions followed trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi that produced no major diplomatic breakthrough, ABC News reported.
💬 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
Putin Refuses to Soften Territorial Demands or Accept Foreign Peacekeepers
During the talks at the Kremlin, the Russian president refused to soften his territorial demands. He insisted on full control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed.
Putin also ruled out accepting the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. He described such a move as a continuation of war.
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…
Ahead of the meetings, Putin remarked on the impossibility of lasting peace with disputed boundaries. As Meduza reported, the Russian leader said that related agreements become unstable and that “there will be no lasting peace” due to differing understandings of gray zones.
“For us, there is only one line of demarcation — the line of the state border,” Vladimir Putin said.
Putin’s comments dampened hopes that a peace deal could be reached before the end of 2026. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously pointed to a window of opportunity for an agreement.
In Dublin, I met with the national security advisors of the E4 countries – the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy – as well as those of the European Commission and the European Council. I thanked them for their engagement in communication with the American side, their… pic.twitter.com/Dh6OUHshbh
European Security Framework Debates
The trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner aimed partly to secure European participation in future negotiations. Witkoff confirmed that European representatives would join the next round of talks.
“They’re our partners, and it’s important for them to be involved,” Steve Witkoff told reporters as he boarded a plane leaving Moscow.
The US envoys scheduled a trip to Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Zelenskyy and debrief him on the Moscow meeting. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas rejected the Kremlin’s push to reframe talks around a new European security architecture.
“We already have a European security architecture in place,” Kaja Kallas told reporters, pointing to the cold war-era Helsinki accords and the Budapest memorandum.
French President Emmanuel Macron noted the shifting diplomatic dynamics during the European Political Community summit in Dublin. Macron said that Europe would ultimately define its own future security.
“There is no more US support. So there [are] some mediations, fine,” Emmanuel Macron said. “But at the end of the day we will be the one to define and decide for our future security as Europeans.”
Frontline Starlink Disruptions
Amid the diplomatic maneuvers, Zelenskyy accused Musk’s Starlink satellite service of damaging Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Ukrainian military officials reported new restrictions on the satellite network.
Starshield, a military version of Starlink funded by the Pentagon, has been subject to speed limits of 100mph along the frontline and in Russian-occupied territory for several days. Zelenskyy said that the disruption made it harder to intercept jet-powered drones.
“Helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, accusing the service of hindering defense operations.
Kyiv contacted Washington to seek an explanation for the disruption. Ukrainian officials maintain that the restrictions appear deliberate rather than technical.
As always, a good meeting with President of the Council of Ministers of Italy @GiorgiaMeloni. I briefed her on the negotiation process, particularly the meetings in Abu Dhabi and the next diplomatic steps. It is important that Europe be fully involved in the process when it comes… pic.twitter.com/U6PgoScazj
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