U.S. envoys meet Putin in Kremlin to push Russia-Ukraine peace talks

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday to advance peace efforts in the Russia-Ukraine war, following two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi that yielded no major breakthrough. The Abu Dhabi negotiations marked the first direct Russian-Ukrainian discussions in nine months, producing only an agreement on a large prisoner swap. Kushner and Witkoff are scheduled to fly to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is attending a summit of over 40 European countries. Putin reaffirmed Moscow's rejection of any European troop presence in postwar Ukraine, while Zelenskyy insisted Ukraine won't surrender occupied territory. Separately, Zelenskyy reported significant disruptions to the U.S. Starshield satellite service, which Ukraine relies on for defense, amid ongoing fighting along the 1,200-kilometre front line.