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Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday that any foreign troops deployed in Ukraine after a peace deal would be a "legitimate target" and would mean "the continuation of war," rejecting a key demand from Kyiv.
"We said from the very beginning that the presence of any foreign troops on Ukrainian territory is absolutely unacceptable for us, because we believe it threatens the security of the Russian Federation," Putin said in televised remarks at the Kremlin meeting.
"Everyone agreed with this earlier. At least during the negotiations in Istanbul, it was accepted," he said.
"The Europeans know this. What do we hear from them? That after peace is concluded, they will immediately bring troops into Ukraine. What does that mean? We have already said that for us it is a legitimate target, meaning the war will immediately resume," the Russian president added.
Putin said Trump’s administration had proposed agreeing on instruments for security in Europe as a whole.
"What do we hear from the Europeans? No, only after peace in Ukraine. But after peace in Ukraine they are going to bring troops into the territory. This is a continuation of war. The circle is closed," he said.
Russia was never against dialogue with Europe and the Europeans broke off contact, Putin said, adding he would like the U.S. to work with Europe so Europeans could decide "whether they want peace or war."
He said peace in Ukraine must be "eternal" and that in territorial questions, the people living there matter most to Moscow.
"If we move to a multilateral format, then we’ll continue to make progress to resolve the issues," Kushner said, adding that Europeans want to take part and that Washington has begun discussing continental security architecture with them.
Witkoff said he was "hopeful we can include the Europeans" in the next round.
Witkoff said the Abu Dhabi talks were held in a positive atmosphere and that an upcoming prisoner exchange shows progress. Europeans were not at the table but were briefed, and he will relay Thursday’s talks to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he said.
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Russian delegation chief Vladimir Medinsky and Kirill Dmitriev attended. Medinsky said the sides had moved closer to peace but much depends on all participants.
Putin proposed a humanitarian mission to evacuate civilians from Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine, modeled on last month’s U.S.-brokered evacuation from Oleshky.
"There are still around 400 to 500 civilians there. Let’s do the same thing we did in Oleshky," he said, thanking U.S. first lady Melania Trump for her help organizing that effort.
"In my view, Russian troops control this settlement; we will ensure security from our side. We need five days to demine the approaches," Putin said, adding, "If Ukraine controls it, let it do the same." Moscow said it seized the town in July.
He proposed inviting American, international, European, Ukrainian and Russian media, with human rights commissioners Yana Lantratova of Russia and Dmytro Lubinets of Ukraine organizing the mission, saying it would also show who controls the town.
"There is only one clear line, the line of the state border," Putin said, adding, "We will never sort out these ‘gray’ zones."
The Oleshky operation began with a ceasefire on Oct. 27, and the evacuation was completed Oct. 30, Interfax reported, as Putin’s foreign troops warning complicates guarantees for Kyiv.
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