Talks between Vladimir Putin and US President’s Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner began at the Kremlin on 12 November. According to reports in the Russian media, during the meeting Putin expressed his desire to establish «eternal peace» in Ukraine and proposed carrying out a humanitarian operation in Kostiantynivka, modelled on the recent mission in Oleshky in the Kherson region.
- Putin is holding talks in the Kremlin with the American representatives Witkoff and Kushner.
- The Russian President has stated that he would like to see «eternal peace» established in Ukraine.
- Moscow has proposed to the US that it organise a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka, following the example of Oleshky.
- The American negotiators arrived in Moscow following trilateral consultations in Abu Dhabi.
Putin made a statement on peace and proposed a humanitarian mission
According to reports in the Russian media, during a meeting with the American delegation Putin commented on the prospects of the war in Ukraine coming to an end.
«I would like peace in Ukraine to last forever,» Putin said.
At the same time, Putin proposed that the American side organise a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka, in the Donetsk region. According to his plan, it could take place along the lines of an operation in the temporarily occupied town of Oleshky.
The details of the proposal – in particular, the terms of a possible ceasefire, the routes for humanitarian aid and the Ukrainian side’s involvement – have not yet been made public. There has been no official reaction from Kyiv to this initiative either.
The talks in Moscow are taking place following the meetings in Abu Dhabi
The American representatives arrived in Russia after two days tripartite talks Ukraine, the USA and the Russian Federation, which took place on 10–11 November in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
During the consultations, the parties discussed security guarantees, possible mechanisms for ending hostilities and territorial issues. One of the initial outcomes was an agreement in principle on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.
On the eve of his visit to Moscow Jared Kushner He stated that the US had agreed with Ukraine and its European partners on proposals which it intends to present to Putin. At the same time, he acknowledged that significant differences remain between Kyiv and Moscow.
The territorial issue remains one of the main obstacles in the negotiations. Russia continues to demand that the entire territory of the Donbas be handed over to it, whilst Ukraine rejects such conditions.
After visiting the Kremlin, the American delegation will head to meet Zelenskyy
Following talks with Putin, Witkoff and Kushner plan to visit Dublin, where they are due to meet the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
It is expected that the US representatives will discuss the outcome of the Moscow meeting and the next steps in the negotiation process with the Ukrainian president.
So far, there have been no reports of any new agreements being reached between Washington and Moscow.
