Putin Witkoff talks: Kremlin meeting ends with Russia rejecting foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine
Putin told the US envoys that foreign peacekeepers in Ukraine would count as a continuation of war, Time reported, while territory remains deadlocked.
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The Putin Witkoff talks took place at the Kremlin on Thursday 12 November, when Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow to discuss Ukraine, Time reported. The meeting followed two days of US-led talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi that yielded no major breakthroughs.
What happened at the Kremlin
Putin greeted Kushner and Witkoff at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, according to Time. ABC News reported that the envoys landed at Vnukovo airport on Thursday morning and were welcomed by Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Witkoff told reporters after the meeting that a European representative would be present for the next stage of the talks, which are set to look at the continent’s wider security arrangements, Time said. Sputnik reported that it was Witkoff’s tenth trip to Moscow since February 2025 and Kushner’s third visit to Russia.
Putin Witkoff talks: what each side said
Putin repeated his opposition to foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. He told the envoys that such a deployment would be considered by Russia as a “continuation of war”, Time reported. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, told reporters after the Moscow meeting that the Russian president will continue talks on Ukraine with Trump at the APEC summit in China later this month.
Before the meeting, Kushner wrote on X that “we have aligned on proposals we will discuss with President Putin in Moscow tomorrow”, while acknowledging that “significant differences remain” between the two sides, ABC said.
Key numbers
- Two days: the length of the Abu Dhabi talks that came before the meeting, per Time.
- Tenth: Witkoff’s trip to Moscow since February 2025, per Sputnik.
- Third: Kushner’s visit to Russia, per Sputnik.
- Beginning of 2027: the point by which Zelensky said a result could be reached, per Time.
Ukraine peace talks: the European seat and territory
Time reported that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators saw some progress in Abu Dhabi, including a prisoner swap agreement, but that all sides acknowledge significant differences remain, particularly over territory. With the territory question deadlocked, US mediators have sought to steer discussions toward post-war security guarantees and reconstruction.
Time said fully integrating European representatives into future negotiations could prove difficult. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia’s delegation in Abu Dhabi, previously expressed skepticism over any European involvement.
Background: The Abu Dhabi talks
The Abu Dhabi meetings were the first trilateral talks held since February, ABC reported. Our earlier report on the Russia and Ukraine prisoner exchange agreed in principle covers that deal.
What Zelensky said in Dublin
Witkoff and Kushner left for Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is among dozens of world leaders at the European Political Community summit, Time reported. Speaking alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Zelensky said: “There really is this window of opportunity, when all the participants involved in this negotiating process could get the result by the beginning of 2027.”
What happens next
The Dublin briefing is the next step after the Putin Witkoff talks. Putin and Trump are expected to continue the conversation on Ukraine at the APEC summit in China later this month, Ushakov said.
The meeting shows where US-led mediation is stuck: Moscow still rejects foreign troops in Ukraine, which is tied to the post-war security guarantees that mediators have tried to steer talks toward, and territory remains deadlocked. The Dublin briefing and a Putin and Trump conversation at the APEC summit are the next points to watch.