Putin Discusses Stance on Resolving Russia-Ukraine Conflict in Talks with U.S. Presidential Envoy

Xinhua News Agency, Moscow, November 12 - Russian President Putin met with U.S. President's envoy Witkoff and President Trump's son-in-law Kushner in Moscow on the 12th. Putin stated that he does not accept the stationing of foreign troops in Ukraine, and Witkoff hopes that this meeting can lead to a new round of multilateral talks involving European representatives.

According to information from the Kremlin's website and Russian media reports, Putin emphasized that for Russia, the presence of any foreign troops in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable, as it threatens Russia's security, and foreign troops within Ukraine are legitimate targets for Russian strikes.

Putin mentioned that Witkoff, who has already been in contact with European parties, plays an important role in assessing the situation of the Abu Dhabi trilateral talks and the prospects for Russia-Ukraine negotiations from a European perspective.

Putin stated that the so-called "gray zone" issue raised by the Ukrainian side is the reason for the disputes. For Russia, there can only be one boundary between Russia and Ukraine, which is the national border. Once the debate over the "gray zone" begins, different interpretations and disputes will arise, undermining any agreements.

Witkoff said that Trump asked him to convey to Putin that "it is crucial to end the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible." Witkoff hopes that this meeting with Putin can lead to a new round of multilateral talks involving European representatives.

Kushner expressed the hope that this meeting would discuss ways and opportunities to end the conflict. The European side has expressed its willingness to participate in talks and end the conflict.

The two-day trilateral talks between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine concluded on the 11th in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. The parties reached an agreement on a large-scale exchange of captured personnel, but there remain "significant differences" on key issues such as ending the conflict, territorial disputes, Ukraine's security guarantees, and the future security architecture of Europe.