Putin's Ukraine Demands Unchanged in Witkoff and Kushner Talks, ISW Says

Talks in Abu Dhabi and Moscow revealed that the Kremlin refuses to compromise on its maximalist demands regarding Ukraine and NATO, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Putin reiterated his intention to control four partially occupied Ukrainian regions and rejected demilitarized zones or Western security guarantees. During the November 12 meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin insisted that Russia's state border, as defined by its constitution, is the only acceptable "line of demarcation." He also rejected any foreign troop presence in Ukraine, calling it "absolutely unacceptable," while Russian negotiators reaffirmed their December 2021 ultimatums demanding NATO halt its expansion. ISW analysts noted that Putin's proposal for a "humanitarian mission" in Kostiantynivka is likely a military ploy to concentrate forces for an advance on Druzhkivka. They highlighted that at least 41 Ukrainian positions exist in the city, undermining Russian claims of full control, and that a ceasefire there would be far more complex than in Oleshky.