Vladimir Putin warned US negotiators that Russia would attack any foreign troops deployed in Ukraine, in a series of hardline comments that came as the Ukrainian military faced new disruptions to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service. During talks in the Kremlin with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff on Thursday, the Russian president refused to soften his territorial demands, insisting on full control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed. He also ruled out accepting the deployment of foreign peacekeeping troops to Ukraine, describing such a move as a “continuation of the war.” Putin’s comments appeared to seriously dampen hopes that a peace deal could be within reach, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said there was a “window of opportunity” to reach a deal before the end of 2026. The latest trip to Moscow by Witkoff and Kushner, who have made numerous visits to Russia, was aimed in part at securing European participation in future negotiations, according to two people familiar with the situation. talks. Speaking after the meeting, Witkoff confirmed that European representatives would join the next round of talks. “They are our partners, and it is important that they participate,” he told reporters as he boarded a plane leaving Moscow. The American envoys will now travel to Dublin, Ireland, where they will meet with Zelenskyy and brief him on the Moscow meeting. Amid a flurry of diplomatic activity, including recent talks in Abu Dhabi, the Kremlin appears to have managed to reframe negotiations over the war in Ukraine as part of a broader discussion about European security. But Europe is wary of Russian attempts to focus discussions on a European security architecture, while Moscow continues to bombard Ukraine with bombs and missiles. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters: “We already have a European security architecture.” Kallas pointed to the Cold War-era Helsinki agreements and the Budapest memorandum, which guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity. “The problem is that Russia is not honoring those agreements, so the focus now should be on Russia actually fulfilling its obligations… and not attacking another country again.” Focusing on a European security architecture was a “distraction” without a ceasefire, he added. Both Washington and Moscow have been urging European leaders to appoint a single representative to lead negotiations on their behalf. “Once a representative, a chief negotiator authorized to speak on behalf of Europe, is appointed, there will be a four-way dialogue,” Putin said Thursday. EU leaders are due to discuss the question of who speaks for Europe on Friday, but have so far refused to name a person to speak for the bloc. An EU official said the EU would be represented by its institutions when union issues were on the table, but played down any imminent appointment. They said, “Do I expect an agreement on a special representative? My answer is no, I don’t.” a single European negotiator, saying that “the content determines the format. “There is no longer support from the United States. So there is [are] Some mediations, fine,” he said, referring to the process led by Kushner and Witkoff. “But at the end of the day it will be us who define and decide our future security as Europeans.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said it was first necessary to bring Putin to the negotiating table before deciding on a European envoy. Merz said: “It is not about individuals. What matters is that Putin is prepared to have talks.” Meanwhile, Zelenskyy accused Musk’s Starlink satellite service of harming Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian drone attacks, after Ukrainian military officials reported new restrictions on the system. According to Zelenskyy, Starshield, a Pentagon-funded military version of Starlink, has for several days been subject to speed limits of 100 mph (161 km/h) at along the front lines and in areas occupied by Russia. Last month, similar restrictions caused confusion over who had ordered them, with Musk and the Trump administration accusing each other before the service was partially restored. The latest restrictions had made it difficult for Ukrainian forces to intercept Russia’s increasingly sophisticated aircraft-powered drones, Zelenskyy said, accusing the service of “helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more attacks.” kyiv has contacted Washington to seek an explanation for the interruption, which Zelenskyy said appeared to be a deliberate and non-technical failure.
