US envoys meet Putin in Moscow as Russia reaffirms territorial demands

United States mediators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow following negotiations in Abu Dhabi. The American envoys urged the Kremlin to allow European representatives to join upcoming peace talks to help ensure long-term regional stability.

However, during the discussions, Putin maintained a firm stance on territorial concessions, insisting that any future border between the two countries must align with Russia's constitutionally claimed limits. These official boundaries include the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, as well as four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russian forces since the 2022 invasion. Following their Kremlin consultations, the US negotiators are slated to confer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to continue shuttle diplomacy efforts.

Sources: Der Spiegel, Der Standard, FAZ, ORF, Tagesschau