Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a meeting with Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, US special envoys in the Kremlin, emphasized that Moscow will not shrink from its stubborn positions. In this meeting, held after two days of peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Putin rejected the proposals related to the creation of "gray" or demilitarized zones between the positions of the two countries and stated that the only dividing line for Russia is the "state border".
However, the Kremlin assessed the talks as useful and announced that the American side agreed to Putin's proposal to implement a joint humanitarian mission in a city in eastern Ukraine. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushkov said Putin will continue these discussions with Donald Trump at the APEC summit in China.
Also, at this meeting, Moscow again announced its firm opposition to NATO expansion and expressed hope that Europe would support the talks on the new security architecture. The direct talks for the peace of Ukraine, renewed after months of hiatus, will continue.