Putin Allows European Envoys Into Ukraine Peace Talks

President Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday to allow European representatives to join the next round of Ukraine peace talks, a move US envoy Steve Witkoff called a breakthrough after meeting the Russian leader in the Kremlin. Witkoff said the Europeans will participate in the next meeting, emphasizing their importance as partners. However, Putin warned Washington must clarify whether Europe seeks peace or war, while Ukrainian President Zelensky expressed alarm over new restrictions on US-made Starshield satellite communications affecting the battlefield. The talks follow the first direct US-mediated negotiations in nine months in Abu Dhabi, which yielded a prisoner exchange agreement but left major differences unresolved, including territorial disputes. Putin also proposed a joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian mission to Kostiantynivka, while Zelensky criticized the US approach of discussing a new European security order with Russia as "a bit strange."