Putin warns Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned US negotiators that Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine, according to The Guardian.
The warning was delivered during talks at the Kremlin, the presidential complex in Moscow, with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Envoys are personal representatives sent by a government to carry messages or negotiate on its behalf.
Putin also insisted on full Russian control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, meaning it has taken them over and declared them part of Russia. He ruled out accepting the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, a force that would be sent to help keep a ceasefire or settlement in place. Putin described such a deployment as a continuation of war.
Separately, Ukraine's military faced renewed disruptions to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite service, which the Ukrainian army has relied on during the war.
Looking ahead, Witkoff confirmed that European representatives would join the next round of talks. He and Kushner will also travel to Dublin to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy and brief him on the Moscow meeting. Zelenskyy said there was a window of opportunity to reach an agreement before the end of 2026.
The timing overlaps with a gathering in Dublin, where more than 45 European leaders are meeting for the European Political Community summit, a forum that brings together heads of state and government from across the continent.
