On November 12, a meeting took place in Moscow between Vladimir Putin and US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. According to RBC-Ukraine, the central topic of the talks was the results of the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, which focused on settling the war in Ukraine. During the conversation, the Russian leader commented on the so-called "gray zones," which, according to him, the Ukrainian side raises in the context of the demarcation line.

'Gray zones' — a bone of contention

Putin stated that for Moscow, there is only one demarcation line with Ukraine — the state border line. "We know that the Ukrainian side raises the issue of so-called gray zones. And this, as I have already said, will always be a bone of contention. For us, there is only one demarcation line — the state border line," RBC-Ukraine reported the Russian leader as saying. According to him, it is precisely such a clear line that will allow defining: "you are here, we are here, and this is the demarcation line."

Betting against 'lasting peace'

The Russian leader also stated that any discussions about "gray zones," which are "interpreted differently," lead to disputes and the instability of agreements. "As soon as we get dragged into arguments about 'gray zones,' which are interpreted differently, disputes and the instability of any agreements begin immediately. There will be no lasting peace," Putin said, effectively rejecting compromise wording on the line of contact between the parties.

What happened in Abu Dhabi

The context for the Moscow meeting was the negotiations in Abu Dhabi. According to RBC-Ukraine sources, on the second day of the trilateral format, the Russian delegation refused to discuss a ceasefire, territorial issues, energy, or security in the Black Sea. The focus of the talks, according to this information, shifted to the future security architecture in Europe, while the war against Ukraine itself was pushed to the background.

Ukrainian side's assessment

A member of the Ukrainian delegation, David Arakhamia, admitted that the negotiations in Abu Dhabi were tough due to the directives the Russian side brought with them. At the same time, according to him, discussing the post-war future helped establish a dialogue, and he assessed that there is "good momentum" to find a solution by the beginning of next year.

Moscow's unchangeable demands

At the same time, as RBC-Ukraine notes, the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi clearly and categorically expressed Moscow's unchangeable demands regarding the complete surrender of Ukraine and territorial concessions extending far beyond the Donbas. Thus, the Moscow meeting with the American special envoys confirmed that Russia's position on the demarcation line remains rigid and does not allow for a compromise in the form of "gray zones."