Putin meets US envoys Witkoff and Kushner, set to meet Trump at APEC

Russian President Vladimir Putin received US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 12 to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine. It was the first such meeting since the trilateral talks held in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11.

What the Kremlin said

In a statement published on the Kremlin's official website, Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys briefed Putin on the Abu Dhabi talks and that both sides backed a new prisoner-of-war exchange, "most likely the largest" so far, with details still being negotiated. Ushakov also said the US side supported Putin's proposal for a humanitarian operation in Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, similar to one in Oleshky. These are statements by the Russian side, and Ukraine has not officially responded to them.

According to Sputnik Mongolia, Putin opened the meeting by asking the envoys to convey his thanks to President Donald Trump for supporting the Russia–Ukraine negotiations. Ushakov said the discussion would continue at a Putin–Trump meeting during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China.

Next stop: Dublin

The Associated Press reported that Witkoff and Kushner flew from Moscow to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of European governments. Ushakov said he hoped "the messages from Moscow will be conveyed to them carefully" and that there would be further contact with the US envoys.

Reaction on X

News that Putin and Trump will meet at APEC, along with footage from the Kremlin meeting, circulated among Mongolian users.