On a Thursday in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin told American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff that Russia would strike any foreign troops placed in Ukraine and would not yield on the four regions it claims as its own, a refusal that thins the hope of a near deal. The meeting is one more turn in a long, grinding negotiation over who will guard a border and who will decide its fate, now complicated by Europe's uncertain place at the table. Far from the conference rooms, the war continues with bombs and drones, and a dispute over satellite internet has left Ukrainian air defenders struggling
Putin Rejects Foreign Troops and Territorial Concessions as Kyiv Accuses Starlink of Disruption
Russia continues bombing Ukraine, and Zelenskyy says the Starlink restrictions help Russian drones strike more accurately and kill more Ukrainians.
A "continuation of war" — Putin's verdict on foreign peacekeepers
Mark
Putin said he'd target any foreign troops in Ukraine. Why does that line matter so much?
Mimi
Because European-backed peacekeepers are a central idea for guaranteeing any settlement. He called them a "continuation of war", so he's closing that door in front of the US envoys themselves.
Mark
And the territory?
Mimi
He wants full control of four regions Moscow claims to have annexed. No softening, according to the report.
Luke
Worth noting that this is how the talks were described after the fact. We have Putin's stance as reported, not a transcript of the room.
Mark
Europe seems stuck on who speaks for it.
Mimi
Putin says a four-way dialogue follows once Europe names a chief negotiator. Kallas wants the role with Costa, Macron says format follows content, and Merz says get Putin to the table first.
Luke
And one EU official doesn't expect a special representative to be agreed. So Putin's condition may not be met soon.
Mark
What about Starlink?
Mimi
Zelenskyy says Starshield is speed-limited to 100mph along the front, hurting interception of jet-powered drones.
Luke
That's his claim. He says it looks deliberate, but the report doesn't confirm who ordered it, and last month's restrictions saw Musk and the administration blame each other.
Mark
So what's actually settled?
Luke
Witkoff said Europeans will join the next round. Most else is positions and accusations.
El Pulso
- Putin has closed the door on foreign peacekeepers, calling them a continuation of war, and has refused to give up claimed territory.
- Zelenskyy's window for a deal before the end of 2026 is narrowing while Russian bombardment continues across Ukraine.
- Europe's leaders are split over who should speak for them, with the EU declining to name a single negotiator as Moscow demands one.
- Starshield speed limits along the front are hampering Ukraine's ability to intercept jet-powered drones, and Kyiv is demanding answers from Washington.
- Europe's leaders gathered in Dublin signal they will define their own security, but without a ceasefire the path to a settlement remains blocked.
On a Thursday in the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin told American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff that Russia would strike any foreign troops placed in Ukraine and would not yield on the four regions it claims as its own, a refusal that thins the hope of a near deal. The meeting is one more turn in a long, grinding negotiation over who will guard a border and who will decide its fate, now complicated by Europe's uncertain place at the table. Far from the conference rooms, the war continues with bombs and drones, and a dispute over satellite internet has left Ukrainian air defenders struggling to bring down the very machines that threaten their cities.
Vladimir Putin received the American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin and told them plainly that Russia would target any foreign troops sent into Ukraine. He dismissed foreign peacekeepers as a continuation of war and held firm on his demand for full control of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims as annexed. For those hoping a deal was near, the words landed as a chill, especially after Volodymyr Zelenskyy had spoken of a window to reach agreement before 2026 ends.
Witkoff nonetheless offered one hopeful note as he left Moscow: European representatives would join the next round of talks. The envoys were heading to Dublin to brief Zelenskyy, while Europe debated who should speak for it. The EU has so far refused to nominate a single negotiator, and Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz both argued that the format matters less than getting Putin to talk at all. Kaja Kallas warned that without a ceasefire, talk of a new security architecture is a distraction.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy accused Elon Musk's Starlink service of new speed limits along the frontline, limits he says make it harder to intercept Russia's jet-powered drones. He described the disruption as deliberate and said it was helping Russia strike more accurately and kill more Ukrainians. Kyiv has asked Washington for an explanation, and the coming weeks will show whether Europe finds a negotiator and whether a wider dialogue takes shape before the window closes.
Vladimir Putin received the US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Thursday and told them Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine. He called the idea of foreign peacekeepers a "continuation of war" and ruled out accepting them. He also refused to soften his territorial demands, insisting that Russia must have full control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed.
The remarks appeared to dampen hopes that a deal was close. Volodymyr Zelenskyy had recently spoken of a "window of opportunity" to reach an agreement before the end of 2026. Witkoff and Kushner have made numerous visits to Russia, and this one was partly aimed at securing European participation in future negotiations, according to two people familiar with the talks.
On that point, Witkoff offered some confirmation. As he boarded a plane leaving Moscow, he told reporters that European representatives would join the next round of talks. "They're our partners, and it's important for them to be involved," he said. The envoys were due to travel on to Dublin to brief Zelenskyy on the Moscow meeting. Andy Burnham, the British prime minister, said national security adviser Jonathan Powell would join talks in Berlin.
After a flurry of diplomacy, including recent talks in Abu Dhabi, the Kremlin appears to have succeeded in recasting the Ukraine negotiations as part of a wider conversation about European security. Europe is wary of that framing while Moscow keeps bombing Ukraine with bombs and missiles. The EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said a European security architecture already exists. She pointed to the cold war-era Helsinki accords and the Budapest memorandum, which guaranteed Ukraine's territorial integrity. The problem, she said, is that Russia is not keeping to those agreements, and the focus should be on Russia meeting its obligations and not attacking another country again. Without a ceasefire, she added, talk of a new architecture is a "distraction".
Washington and Moscow have both urged European leaders to name a single representative to negotiate on their behalf. Putin said that once a chief negotiator authorised to speak for Europe is appointed, a four-way dialogue will follow. EU leaders are due to discuss on Friday who speaks for Europe, but so far they have declined to nominate one person. One EU official said the union would be represented by its institutions when matters concerning it were on the table, and said of a special representative: "Do I expect an agreement? My answer is no, I don't." Kallas has suggested that she, as high representative for foreign and security policy, should take the role alongside António Costa, president of the European Council.
More than 45 European leaders are meeting in Dublin for the European Political Community summit, which brings together nearly every country on the continent except Belarus and Russia. Emmanuel Macron played down the need for a single negotiator, saying "the content determines the format". Of the Kushner and Witkoff mediation, he said that with no more US support, mediation is fine, but Europeans will ultimately define and decide their own security. Friedrich Merz said the priority is getting Putin to the table: "It's not about individuals. What matters is that Putin is prepared to hold talks."
Separately, Zelenskyy accused Elon Musk's Starlink of undermining Ukraine's defence against Russian drones, after Ukrainian military officials reported new restrictions. He said Starshield, a military version of Starlink funded by the Pentagon, has for several days been subject to speed limits of 100mph (161km/h) along the frontline and in Russian-occupied territory. Similar restrictions last month caused confusion over who had ordered them, with Musk and the Trump administration blaming each other before service was partly restored.
Zelenskyy said the new limits make it harder to intercept Russia's increasingly sophisticated jet-powered drones, and accused the service of "helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes". He said the disruption appeared deliberate rather than a technical fault. Kyiv has asked Washington for an explanation. Next to watch: whether EU leaders settle on a negotiator, and whether a four-way dialogue forms before the end-of-year window Zelenskyy described closes.
Citas Notables
We already have a European security architecture in place.— Kaja Kallas, EU foreign policy chief
It's not about individuals. What matters is that Putin is prepared to hold talks.— Friedrich Merz, German chancellor
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