Following talks in Abu Dhabi, diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine have moved to Moscow, where the Kremlin became the venue for another round of negotiations between American representatives and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were received by the Kremlin leader, with whom they discussed the prospects for an agreement that would end the conflict. At the negotiating table, the most complicated issue remains territory, on which Moscow appears unwilling to make concessions.
Putin made clear that, for Russia, there is no room for intermediate interpretations regarding borders. “As for the sustainability, durability and reliability of peace, we would also want this peace to be everlasting. We know that both parties, Russia and Ukraine, have different positions on the territorial issue. We know that the Ukrainian side raises the question of so-called ‘grey zones.’ And this, as I have already said, will always remain a point of disagreement. For us there is only one line of demarcation: the state border,” Putin declared.
This position implies that Moscow demands recognition of its territorial claims, including the Ukrainian regions it has occupied and illegally annexed. But the diplomatic clash is not limited to territory. Another hot point is the possible presence of European troops in Ukraine after the war ends. Putin warned that such a scenario would be considered a threat by Russia. “What do we hear from the Europeans? That as soon as a peace agreement is signed, they will immediately deploy troops to Ukraine. We have already discussed this: this is a legitimate target for us, so the war will resume immediately. We would very much like you, honorable gentlemen, and the American administration as a whole, to work with your European allies so that they finally decide whether they want peace or war in Ukraine,” the Russian president said.
From the American side, the message is that the diplomatic process continues and that the next step will be consultations with Kyiv. Steve Witkoff said that after the meeting in Moscow, the American delegation will travel to Ireland, where it is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “We will travel directly from here after this meeting to Ireland, where we will meet with President Zelensky before he returns home. We will consult and update him on everything that is happening. And we hope we can announce soon, perhaps at the end of this tour, the next trilateral meeting that will include the Europeans,” Witkoff said.
Jared Kushner also stressed that an agreement cannot be limited merely to halting hostilities, but must guarantee long-term security for all parties. “The Europeans want this war to be truly the end and for there to be lasting peace afterward. And understanding long-term security between Russia, Ukraine and Europe is a conversation we have begun to develop with them,” Kushner said. Despite the harsh tones on the territorial issue and the European military presence, both the American and Russian sides positively assessed the progress of the two-day negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in Abu Dhabi.