Vladimir Putin, during negotiations with US President's special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin, stated the inadmissibility of deploying foreign troops in Ukraine and rejected the idea of creating so-called gray zones. At the same time, American negotiators reported progress in preparing a prisoner exchange and discussing the future security architecture of Europe.
Russian media reported on the main statements of the meeting participants on November 12.
Putin stated that Russia will not agree to the presence of foreign military contingents on the territory of Ukraine. According to him, Moscow will consider such units as legitimate targets for the Russian army. He explained his position alleging a threat to Russia's national security.
Separately, the Russian president commented on the possibility of creating "gray zones" within the framework of future agreements. He stated that for Moscow there is only one line of demarcation with Ukraine - the state border. At the same time, Putin did not specify which line Russia will consider the border, given its claims to occupied Ukrainian territories.
Another topic was the situation in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. Putin repeated claims that the Russian army allegedly controls the city and proposed organizing a humanitarian mission with the participation of human rights commissioners from Ukraine and Russia.
According to the Russian president, the Russian side will need five days for demining to prepare such a mission. At the same time, he proposed that Ukraine ensure security on its side.
The statement about full Russian control over Kostiantynivka has no independent confirmation. Earlier, the Ukrainian General Staff refuted similar claims by Putin. According to the DeepState analytical project, a significant part of the city remained a combat zone, and Russian troops did not control it fully.
On the humanitarian front, Putin stated certain results of previous negotiations and asked to convey gratitude to Donald Trump for organizing contacts between Ukraine and Russia. He also thanked US First Lady Melania Trump for participating in resolving a humanitarian issue related to occupied Oleshky, Kherson region.
Steve Witkoff called the preparation of a new prisoner exchange a sign of progress in the negotiations. The parties reached agreements on the exchange during meetings of Ukraine, the USA and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11. The final number of people planned for release has yet to be agreed.
Witkoff also said he would pass information about the negotiations in the Kremlin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He clarified that European representatives did not directly participate in the consultations in Abu Dhabi, but were informed about their progress.
Jared Kushner, for his part, said that European countries are interested in participating in the peace process. According to him, the US has already begun discussions with European partners on the future security architecture on the continent.
Putin, commenting on Europe's participation, claimed that Russia allegedly never refused dialogue with European states. At the same time, he called on the US to find out the position of European countries regarding further settlement of the war.
Vladimir Medinsky, Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev also took part in the meeting on the Russian side.
After consultations in Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner plan to meet with Zelenskyy in Dublin. No concrete agreements on ceasefire or territorial issues were reported based on the initial statements of the meeting participants.
Earlier, "Kurs Ukrainy" reported on the arrival of Witkoff and Kushner in Moscow after the talks in Abu Dhabi.
