Ukraine peace talks: US envoys meet with Putin at Kremlin

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday, discussing efforts to end the Ukraine war. According to Russian state media RIA Novosti, Witkoff said US President Donald Trump was "seeking to end the conflict in Ukraine as quickly as possible." The three-way talks in Abu Dhabi between the US, Ukraine and Russia were held "in a positive atmosphere" and that the Ukrainian and Russian delegations had "worked effectively."

Witkoff said he would convey the results of his and Kushner's meeting with Putin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kushner, for his part, said the US had begun discussions with European countries on the post-war "security architecture" on the continent. He also noted that Europe wanted to be involved in the talks to end the conflict.

Putin proposes humanitarian mission

During the meeting, Putin proposed a "humanitarian mission" to the frontline city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine. "There's a village in Donbas called Kostyantynivka, where there are still about 400-500 civilians. Let's do the same thing we did in Oleshky and invite representatives of the foreign press, including the American press," he said, referring to the recent US-brokered evacuation of the Russia-occupied city of Oleshky.

European involvement in talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Russian side is becoming more willing to accept a European seat in the trilateral talks. "The important thing is that Russia comes to the table and that Russia is ready to talk," the German chancellor said. He also highlighted Ukraine's importance to Europe, saying that supporting Kyiv was a "shared European responsibility." For some time, European leaders have sought a seat at the US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi.

Ukraine strikes Russian refineries

Ukraine's military said on Thursday it has hit Russia's five largest oil refineries since October 30. Those struck were the Omsk, Kirishi, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl refineries, along with the smaller Novokuibyshevsk and Saratov refineries. The statement claimed that the strikes on key refining units are shrinking revenues that help Russia fund the war.

Starshield restrictions continue

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that Ukraine's military faced new "systematic restrictions" to tech billionaire Elon Musk's Starshield satellite internet. "Our units have been recording significant disruptions to Starshield's operations over the territory of Ukraine for several days now," Zelenskyy said in an online post. The Ukrainian president added that "systematic speed restrictions" were being imposed and that these are not "random errors."

The Starshield military communications system — the military-grade version of satellite-based communication network Starlink — is operated by Musk's SpaceX and plays a key role for frontline communications. Ukraine first flagged issues with Starshield last month after a dispute between Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump over a US deal allowing more Russian diesel into global markets.