Moscow, Nov. 12 (askanews) – In a two-hour meeting in the Kremlin with U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the day after Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the outcome of the prisoner exchange, but made it clear he would not compromise on his territorial demands. “We know that the Ukrainian side is raising the issue of the so-called ‘gray zones,’” Putin said, referring to a possible agreement on “demilitarized” zones.
"And this will always be a point of contention. For us, there is only one demarcation line: the state border," he added. Putin's position further complicates the possibility of freezing the front line along current positions, while Moscow claims to be making slow and costly progress in the Donetsk region.
Furthermore, Putin ruled out the possibility of accepting foreign peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, a deployment he said would represent a "continuation of the war." Meanwhile, the two American envoys left the Kremlin for Dublin, where they plan to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the European summit.
According to Witkoff, “progress has been made” after the meeting with Putin.
Askanews