Moscow Holds Ground on Demands as France Rejects Sidelining Europe in Ukraine Peace Talks

The international diplomatic arena has witnessed rapid developments amid highly tense circumstances. Following two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, representing President Donald Trump, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, November 12, 2026, to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine, before heading to the Irish capital, Dublin, where the European Political Community summit convened.

Moscow Hardens Stance: No Foreign Troops and Demands for Spheres of Influence

During the meeting, excerpts of which were broadcast on Russian television, President Vladimir Putin demonstrated a firm adherence to his conditions for ending the conflict. Putin renewed his warning that the deployment of any foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is "completely unacceptable," describing such forces as a "legitimate target," which in practice would mean "the immediate resumption of the war."

The Kremlin called for discussing European security arrangements along the lines of the 1945 "Yalta and Potsdam" conferences to redivide spheres of influence among Moscow, Washington, and Beijing, rejecting the idea of establishing any demilitarized "gray zones" along frontlines, while proposing instead the launch of a temporary humanitarian operation in the city of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region.

Macron and Europe: The Continent's Security Must Be Decided by Europeans

Meanwhile, a summit bringing together around fifty European leaders kicked off in Dublin, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the fallout of the war and the future of the continent's security architecture—an issue that directly touches upon the stability of European nations, including France.

French President Emmanuel Macron affirmed his categorical rejection of any attempts to impose European security arrangements from the outside, stating: "There are mediations, and that is a good thing, but ultimately, it is up to us as Europeans to define and decide our future security." Macron explained that some forty nations had agreed, under a French initiative, to draft a "charter" affirming the shared principles of European security and countering hybrid attacks, emphasizing the necessity of an awakening for the continent in the face of attempts to marginalize it.

For his part, European Council President António Costa stated that the European security architecture remained effective until Russia undermined it and subsequently destroyed it by invading Ukraine.

Washington and Kyiv: European Participation Is a Prerequisite for Any Deal

Following the Moscow talks, the U.S. envoys arrived in Dublin and met with the Ukrainian President and representatives of several European nations, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Zelenskyy announced that the next round of negotiations would see European presence at the table.

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner also emphasized the difficulty of reaching a sustainable agreement without the Europeans, expressing hope to pave the way for multilateral talks that would contribute to a settlement and stabilize the continent.