Kremlin Urges US and Europe to Pressure Kyiv for Humanitarian Mission in Konstantinovka

Call to pressure Kyiv

On Friday, the Kremlin called on the United States and European countries to exert pressure on Ukraine to accept the proposal by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a humanitarian mission in Konstantinovka, which was announced the previous day during negotiations with American envoys. 'We call upon both Americans and Europeans—who, if we believe their statements about their desire for peace, should also use their influence—to pressure the Ukrainians and urge them to carry out this humanitarian operation in Konstantinovka,' a journalist was told by Kremlin official spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, reports Anadolu..

The Alëshki Precedent and Mutual Accusations

Peskov expressed hope that the initiative would be further developed and implemented, describing it as a continuation of the experience from a similar mission in Alëshki: there, a six-day ceasefire was observed from October 27 in the Russian-controlled city in the Kherson region. According to the publication, the ceasefire was organized with the mediation of US First Lady Melania Trump, who later called it a 'success' that provided 'critically important assistance to the region and the evacuation of nearly 800 people.' Peskov also rejected Kyiv's claims that Moscow intends to use the mission to rotate troops near Konstantinovka: according to him, such movements would effectively mean acknowledging Russian control over the settlement and would be noticeable 'from satellites, drones, and other surveillance means.' On the contrary, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's communications advisor Dmytro Lytvyn warned that Russia might redeploy troops and equipment to the city: 'Given that they brought in equipment and rotated troops in Alëshki under the cover of a humanitarian operation, it is clear what they intend to do in Konstantinovka. However, all details need to be clarified,' Ukrinform quoted him as saying.

Negotiation Context

The proposal for the mission was made during a meeting between Putin and American envoys Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow on Thursday, one day after the conclusion of another round of Russian-Ukrainian mediation talks in Abu Dhabi. Russia claimed to have captured Konstantinovka in July, which Ukraine denies. Peskov also stated that Putin has never rejected contacts with Europe, and that the refusal to engage in dialogue came from European countries: 'If Europeans have someone who is authorized to some extent to conduct negotiations—and if they truly have the desire—then, of course, we will be ready to speak with them.' Regarding the possible participation of Europe in the negotiations, he stated that this could be considered 'once we understand their real intentions and willingness to support the peace process,' and he declined to comment on media reports suggesting that the French President Emmanuel Macron could become Europe's envoy. Furthermore, Peskov refuted information that the issue of Finland's withdrawal from NATO was raised during the talks in Abu Dhabi. Earlier the same day, the German newspaper Bild reported that Russian negotiators put forward far-reaching demands during the latest round in the UAE, including Finland's withdrawal from NATO and a ban on the alliance's military bases in the Baltic states.