Putin’s ‘Permanent Peace’ Pitch Comes With New Demands for Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted a “lasting, permanent peace” in Ukraine while reiterating Moscow’s opposition to foreign troops on Ukrainian territory, during a Kremlin meeting with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday, Nov. 12. Trump’s envoys arrived in Moscow on Thursday to brief Putin on the outcome of the recent trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi. As of 3:21 p.m. Kyiv time, the meeting between Putin, Witkoff, and Kushner had been underway for an hour.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Putin proposed organizing another humanitarian mission in Ukraine, this time from Kostiantynivka, following what he described as a successful humanitarian operation in Oleshky, in the occupied Kherson region. Putin claimed Russia controlled Kostiantynivka and was prepared to guarantee the safety of a humanitarian mission there. He said Moscow would need five days to clear mines around the city, adding that if Kyiv considered the city to be under Ukrainian control, it should ensure the mission’s security from its side. His claims about Russian control of Kostiantynivka were not independently verified. Putin thanked US President Donald Trump for facilitating contacts between Moscow and Kyiv and asked that his gratitude also be conveyed to First Lady Melania Trump for her role in addressing what he called the humanitarian issue surrounding Oleshky. Other Topics of Interest South Korea Keeps Ukraine Aid Flowing Despite Dispute Over POWs Seoul is seeking $100 million in new Ukraine aid despite recalling its ambassador and withdrawing embassy personnel over Kyiv’s disclosure of two North Korean POWs transferred to South Korea. The Kremlin leader also reiterated that Moscow considered the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine unacceptable. “Russia has consistently opposed the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine. Any foreign forces deployed there will be considered legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces,” Putin said. He added Russia had never rejected dialogue with Europe, blaming European countries for breaking off contacts. Witkoff to brief Zelensky, Kushner says US discussing European security Witkoff described the upcoming prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia as evidence of progress toward a potential settlement. He said he would relay the results of Thursday’s discussions with Putin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Witkoff also said European countries had been kept informed of the contacts in Abu Dhabi, despite not participating directly in the negotiations. He thanked Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky for his involvement in the negotiations. Kushner, meanwhile, said Washington had begun discussions with European countries on the continent’s future security architecture. He added that US officials had observed growing interest among Europeans in participating in negotiations and ending the war. Three senior US Democratic lawmakers – Gregory Meeks, Adam Smith, and Jack Reed – sharply criticized Kushner and Witkoff on Nov. 11, accusing them of undermining Ukraine’s negotiating position and advancing Russian interests. In a joint statement, they said the envoys were weakening Kyiv’s ability to secure a just and lasting peace while pressuring Ukraine to surrender sovereign territory. The lawmakers specifically condemned what they described as pressure on Kyiv to abandon its heavily fortified defensive positions in Donbas, known as Ukraine’s fortress belt. They also accused Kushner and Witkoff of echoing Kremlin demands to renegotiate Europe’s security arrangements and potentially reduce the Western military presence in Eastern Europe, warning that such moves could undermine NATO and US national security. They further accused the envoys of bypassing or undermining the US intelligence community and State Department, arguing that their transactional approach treated Ukraine’s fight for survival like a real estate deal. They insisted that weakening Ukraine while easing pressure on Moscow would reward Russian aggression rather than secure lasting peace. The lawmakers also argued that Moscow responds only to strength and that any settlement must include meaningful pressure on Russia rather than territorial concessions from Kyiv. The Democrats also urged Trump to abandon what they described as appeasement of the Kremlin. They warned that surrendering Ukrainian territory and accommodating Putin would bring neither peace nor strength. Notably, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Putin would determine Moscow’s next negotiating position after receiving reports from Russian delegation and US envoys. Lavrov endorsed the trilateral negotiating format involving Ukraine, Russia, and the US, and spoke positively about the Ukrainian delegation’s willingness to engage in substantive discussions. Despite the positive remarks about the talks, Lavrov signaled no shift in Moscow’s position, saying Russia would continue pursuing the objectives Putin outlined in June 2024. This news story will be updated as more information becomes available. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.