Ukraine-Russia talks: Putin receives US envoys and rules out concessions on territories

In the talks between Ukraine and Russia, on November 12 Vladimir Putin received US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin and ruled out territorial concessions on the regions annexed by Moscow.¹ He also rejected the idea of foreign peacekeeping troops, that is, forces to keep the peace, in Ukraine. He did, however, open the door to a brief humanitarian truce in Kostyantynivka, a city along the front line.¹

Arrival in Moscow and missiles on Kyiv

Witkoff and Kushner landed at Moscow airport after the trilateral summit in Abu Dhabi with Ukrainian and Russian mediators. They were welcomed by Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of the Russian president, according to the agency Tass.² In those same hours Moscow launched a new offensive on Kyiv: during the night the city was targeted with ballistic missiles. The number of casualties had not yet been reported.² Before the meeting, Kushner had told Politico that he would ask Putin for his “blessing” to extend the negotiating table to European countries, which have so far been left out.²

What Putin told the US envoys

According to AGI, Putin reiterated that he would not compromise on Russia’s demands to end the war. The American envoys remained in Moscow for several hours.¹ On foreign troops, in his view a deployment would amount to a “continuation of the war”. The Russian Foreign Ministry set out its position: if Europe sent soldiers once peace was reached, Moscow would consider them legitimate targets and the war would resume immediately.¹ RaiNews reports that Putin proposed the truce in Kostiantynivka but also closed the door on NATO.³ Washington’s envoys insisted that European countries take part in the next round. Moscow, for its part, makes ending the conflict conditional on a new security order in Europe. Kyiv and European capitals reject a “new Yalta”, that is, an agreement between great powers dividing spheres of influence, and call for focusing first on ending the fighting.¹

The mood after Abu Dhabi

During the two days of trilateral talks Moscow gave no signs of openness to concessions, especially on territory. The Russian chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, repeated that the conflict will end only when Russia has achieved all the goals of the “special military operation”.² Kushner described the talks as “serious, detailed and frank” but “rather difficult”, and admitted that the differences remain “significant”.² Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had recently spoken of a “window of opportunity” for a result by 2027. Putin’s words, AGI observes, scale back those prospects.¹

Prisoners and Europe at the table

After the Moscow meeting, the envoys briefed Zelensky at a military base near Dublin, where the Ukrainian president was attending a summit of European leaders. Zelensky and the envoys announced that European representatives will take part in the next round of negotiations.⁴ An agreement was also announced on what could become the largest prisoner exchange since February 2022. For Zelensky, it could bring home more than a thousand Ukrainians.⁴ Also according to Zelensky, the agenda will include a ceasefire and de-escalation measures, in addition to the prisoner exchange.⁴ The following day, European Union leaders meeting in Dublin decided that France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Italy will represent Europe, together with the European Council and the Commission. Adnkronos attributes the choice to pressure from the United States and Zelensky.⁵

What changes

For now, the concrete results concern the humanitarian and procedural side: a prisoner exchange, a possible local truce in Kostyantynivka and a seat for Europe at the table. On the territorial question, the heaviest one, Putin has not shifted his position.¹⁴ The refusal on the annexed regions and peacekeepers clashes with what Kyiv and European partners are asking for. European Council President Antonio Costa, for example, said security guarantees should be handled within the coalition of the willing, in close coordination with NATO, while Putin has closed the door on NATO and threatens any European soldiers as possible targets.¹³⁵

This article was written by artificial intelligence from the sources cited, without human review. Automatic newsroom by Redazia.

Sources

Footnotes

1. Ucraina, Putin chiude sui territori e offre una tregua umanitaria, agi.it, 2026-11-12 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Ucraina, gli inviati Usa sono arrivati a Mosca per l’incontro con Putin. Missili russi su Kiev, agi.it, 2026-11-12 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Gli inviati Usa tra Mosca e Dublino: l’Europa entrerà nella squadra negoziale al prossimo round, RaiNews, 2026-11-12 ↩ ↩²

4. Europe to Join Next Ukraine Peace Talks Following US-Putin Meeting, Kyiv Post, 2026-11-13 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Ucraina, Europa ha scelto i rappresentanti al tavolo di pace: 5 Paesi più Commissione e Consiglio Ue. C’è anche l’Italia, Adnkronos, 2026-11-13 ↩ ↩²