Putin holds firm on Ukraine demands as US mediators head to Dublin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out abandoning Moscow's demands for a possible end to the war in Ukraine, rejecting a deal involving demilitarized zones during talks with US mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Thursday. Putin insisted the only acceptable border line is Russia's official state border, which includes annexed Ukrainian territories such as Crimea and parts of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. He also warned that Western troop deployment in Ukraine would be seen as a threat and a legitimate target. Witkoff and Kushner are expected in Dublin later Thursday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders. Putin proposed a "humanitarian mission" in Kostiantynivka, which Kyiv viewed skeptically. The US mediators called the talks positive, while European leaders discussed who should represent the EU in negotiations.