Few compromises when Putin met US envoy
US envoys have met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss peace talks and civilian evacuations.
Quick Look
- Vladimir Putin has told US envoys that foreign peacekeeping forces in Ukraine will be seen as legitimate targets.
- During the meeting, the evacuation of civilians in Kostjantynivka and peace negotiations recently held in Abu Dhabi were also discussed.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Ukraine has called for an international peacekeeping force as part of a future peace settlement. Russia has previously implemented limited ceasefires for evacuations in occupied territories.
Foreign forces involved in a possible post-war peace effort will be seen as "legitimate targets", Putin is said to have told the US envoys. Such a peacekeeping force has been one of Ukraine's demands in a future agreement on peace. Putin also said he was not prepared to budge on Russian territorial claims.
The Russian president is also said to have proposed an evacuation of civilians in Kostjantynivka near the frontline in Donetsk, in a sort of limited ceasefire similar to the one recently implemented in Russian-occupied Oleshky.
- There are around 400 to 500 civilians there, Putin is said to have told the two American envoys during Thursday's meeting.
Witkoff and Kushner, in turn, are reported to have urged Putin to allow Europe to participate in the ongoing peace negotiations, according to AFP. Otherwise, few details from the meeting have been made public so far.
The American envoys arrived in Russia early on Thursday. Pictures published on X showed Witkoff and Kushner being welcomed to a rainy Moscow by Kirill Dmitriyev, head of the Russian state investment fund and Putin's special envoy for economic cooperation.
The visit was aimed at informing Putin about this week's negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi. On Wednesday, Kushner claimed there were "openings and opportunities" to go through with Putin.
After the meeting in the Kremlin, the two US envoys traveled to Ireland to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who is in Dublin for a summit of the European Political Community, EPC.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Continued peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- How will Ukraine respond to Putin's threats to peace efforts?
- What are the exact conditions for the evacuation in Kostjantynivka?
