Putin Proposes a Humanitarian Mission in Kostiantynivka on November 12: Five Days Needed to Clear Mines, 400 to 500 Residents Remain, While Kyiv Adviser Lytvyn Says Russia Used the Oleshky Operation to Rotate Troops
MOSCOW, Russia — President Vladimir Putin, meeting United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on November 12, proposed a joint Russian Ukrainian humanitarian mission to Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, Reuters reported. Putin said Moscow controlled the city, an assertion Ukraine has taken issue with, saying it retains a presence there.
Putin said the mission could be modeled on an initiative at the end of last month that allowed residents to leave the Russian controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine and for aid to be brought in for those who chose to remain. He said Russia needed five days to clear the area near Kostiantynivka of mines, and that there were 400 to 500 city residents still there. The mission would allow the world to understand who controlled the city, he added.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the United States envoys had welcomed Putin's idea and would be in touch with Russia about it.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn responded that Russia had used a similar humanitarian operation in occupied Oleshky last month to rotate troops and bring in more personnel, and that it was clear why Moscow wanted the same arrangement in Kostiantynivka. Kyiv has previously expressed concerns that Moscow might wish to use ceasefires for such missions to enable its military to regroup.
Kostiantynivka is a front line city in Ukraine's Donetsk region. In the same talks, Putin restated his territorial demands, saying what Russia considers its state border should be the only meaningful demarcation point with Ukraine.
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：乌克兰康斯坦丁诺夫卡火车站（资料图，2024年2月遭轰炸后）。乌克兰国家警察摄，维基共享资源 CC BY 4.0。 / Photo: Kostiantynivka railway station in Ukraine (file photo, after the February 2024 bombing). Photo by the National Police of Ukraine, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
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