Putin Rejects Foreign Troops and Demands Border Recognition
Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoys in Moscow, proposing a humanitarian ceasefire in Kostiantynivka while warning that foreign troops in Ukraine would be legitimate targets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on November 12 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Following preliminary talks in Abu Dhabi, Putin maintained a hardline stance, rejecting territorial compromises and insisting that the state border must be the only line of demarcation. He explicitly warned that the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine would be viewed as a threat to national security and a "continuation of war," stating such forces would be "legitimate targets."
Despite these tensions, Putin proposed a five-day ceasefire and a humanitarian mission to evacuate 400-500 civilians from the frontline city of Kostiantynivka, modeled after a previous operation in Oleshky. He also thanked Donald and Melania Trump for their roles in facilitating prisoner exchanges and aid in the Kherson region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meeting with the U.S. envoys in Dublin, rejected any recognition of Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territories. While Zelenskyy viewed proposed prisoner exchanges as positive and noted a "window of opportunity" for resolution before 2027, he maintained that Ukraine would not withdraw from the Donbas region. Simultaneously, Russian forces launched strikes on drone production and rocket fuel facilities near Kiev. European leaders in Dublin expressed diverging views on the path forward, with EU chief Antonio Costa criticizing Russia's approach to European security architecture.
