Putin Demands Full Control Over Annexed Regions as Starlink Disrupted in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin maintained hardline territorial demands during negotiations with United States envoys in Moscow, warning that Russian forces would target any foreign peacekeeping troops deployed to Ukraine, according to The Guardian. Consulting with American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin demanded full sovereign control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed. The Russian leader also ruled out the stationing of international peacekeepers, describing foreign military presence on Ukrainian soil as an ongoing continuation of war. While rejecting proposals for demilitarized grey zones, Putin proposed a short-term localized ceasefire in a key frontline city within the Donetsk region.
European Participation and Security Dialogue
The Kremlin discussions followed preliminary trilateral exchanges in Abu Dhabi, with United States mediators seeking to incorporate European partners into future negotiation rounds. Speaking to reporters while departing Moscow, Witkoff indicated that European representatives would participate in the subsequent phase of peace talks. Putin stated that once European nations designate a chief negotiator authorized to speak on Europe's behalf, formal four-way diplomatic discussions could commence. Kushner and Witkoff departed Moscow for Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders regarding the Kremlin exchanges.
European Summit Positions and Diplomatic Resistance
Gathering in Dublin for the European Political Community summit, more than 45 European heads of government debated potential participation mechanisms for future negotiations. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas dismissed broad security architecture debates as a distraction without an established ceasefire, citing existing commitments under the Helsinki accords and the Budapest memorandum. French President Emmanuel Macron played down proposals for a single European envoy, stating that European nations must directly decide their own future continental security. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that diplomatic priority should focus on ensuring Putin is genuinely prepared for substantive talks rather than selecting individual negotiators.
Satellite Communications Disruption on the Frontline
Concurrently, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian defence forces faced renewed systematic restrictions on Elon Musk's Starlink and Pentagon-funded Starshield satellite networks. Ukrainian military officials reported that communications were subjected to speed restrictions of 100 miles per hour, or 161 kilometres per hour, along frontline operational sectors. Zelenskyy warned that the connectivity constraints severely hindered Ukrainian air defence units attempting to detect and intercept Russian jet-powered combat drones. Ukrainian authorities lodged formal inquiries with officials in Washington seeking explanations for the communication disruption, which Kyiv characterized as deliberate.
Background
Yuri Ushakov recalled Moscow's proposals demanding that NATO roll back military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe, according to The Hill.
A similar throttling of Starshield was reversed after about ten days, according to BigGo News.