China News Service, Moscow, November 12 (Reporter Tian Bing) Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the visiting US presidential envoy Witkov and President Trump's son-in-law Kushner in the Kremlin on the 12th, mainly discussing the Ukrainian issue.
Putin thanked the United States for promoting contacts between Russia and Ukraine and achieving positive results in the humanitarian field, especially in the exchange of captured personnel. He proposed organizing a humanitarian operation in Konstantinovka, Donetsk region, based on the experience in Oreshki. Putin said there are still about 400 to 500 civilians in the area. He said that Russia controls Konstantinovka and is willing to provide security guarantees for humanitarian operations that may be carried out there. To this end, Russia needs five days to clear mines near Konstantinovka. "If Ukraine controls the city as it claims, it is up to them to provide security there."
Putin said that Russia also hopes to achieve permanent peace. Russia knows that there are differences in understanding between Russia and Ukraine on territorial issues. "For us, the most important thing is the people living on that land - their traditions, culture, and the right to live according to their own norms and traditional values." Russia is aware of the "grey zone" issue raised by Ukraine, and the two sides have different understandings of it. Disputes will inevitably arise, any agreement will become unstable, and lasting peace will be impossible to talk about. He emphasized that there can only be one dividing line between Russia and Ukraine, and that is the national border line.
Putin pointed out that Russia has made it clear from the beginning that the stationing of any foreign troops in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable and will pose a threat to Russia's security. Europe is aware of Russia's position, but claims that it plans to send troops to Ukraine once peace is achieved. He emphasized that foreign troops deployed in Ukraine will become legitimate targets of Russian armed forces.
Putin said that Russia has never closed the door to dialogue with European countries, and it was the European side that took the initiative to interrupt the dialogue. Trump suggested agreeing on a European security system, but Europe rejected the proposal. Russia hopes that the United States can communicate with Europe "to allow them to finally clarify what they want: peace in Ukraine, or continuation of war?"
Witkov said that the United States believes that the atmosphere of the tripartite talks in Abu Dhabi is positive and has a positive view on the results of the negotiations. The upcoming exchange of captured personnel between Russia and Ukraine shows that the process of resolving the conflict is making progress. The United States hopes to announce a new round of talks on the Ukraine issue soon, and expects representatives from European countries to also participate. He said President Trump asked him to tell Putin that it was "very important" to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible.
He said that in Abu Dhabi, all parties expressed a common desire to end the conflict, but specific steps on how to ensure that the conflict finally ends successfully have not yet been fully worked out. We hope that during today's talks, we can discuss how to successfully end the conflict through practical paths.
Witkov said there have been some positive changes in Europe. They expressed their willingness to engage in negotiations and push for an end to the conflict. The United States hopes to successfully resolve the conflict by integrating Europe into this multilateral framework. The United States has begun discussions with Europe on a future security architecture covering Russia, Ukraine, and the entire European continent. This architecture is not only designed to end current conflicts, but also to prevent new conflicts from occurring.
Assistants to the Russian President Ushakov and Medinsky, and Russian Presidential Special Representative Dmitriev in charge of foreign investment and economic cooperation attended the meeting.
Witkov and Kushner arrived in Moscow on the morning of the 12th. They will then go to Dublin, the capital of Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky. (over)
