US envoys meet Zelensky in Dublin after Moscow talks with Putin

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening after holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier the same day. The meetings followed two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators that ended without a breakthrough.

Diplomacy in Dublin and Moscow

Zelensky told reporters in Dublin that the talks had been very important. "It gives (us) hope that we will end this war, that after this meeting will be another meeting and each meeting has to give a result and bring us closer to this," he said.

Kushner said that some "really incredible" post-war security plans for Ukraine were being worked on, and that the deal could not be concluded without Europeans at the table. He later posted to X saying that both sides had "agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include our European partners."

Witkoff told CNN at Vnukovo Airport before departing Moscow: "I think progress was made. I think it was made earlier today. People didn’t think that we were going to restart trilateral. We’ve restarted it. We’ve set a new meeting." He added: "This is what President Trump wants to see."

Russia’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US would continue, but appeared to play down European participation. "They are making every effort to get involved in the negotiations, but, as our president has said, they need to decide whether they want peace or a continuation of the war. So far, all their practical actions point precisely to the latter," Ushakov said.

Putin said Russia had "never objected (to) pursuing dialogue" with Europe, adding: "You want this peace to be a durable and lasting one, and I confirm that I subscribe to that, and I’d say more. I want this peace to be eternal, for good."

Prisoner exchange and Starshield restrictions

Ukraine and Russia agreed to another prisoner exchange, which Zelensky called the biggest since the start of the war and described as "a real result." Kushner said it would return "thousands of people to their families," but no further details on numbers or a timeline were given.

Zelensky warned of recurring disruptions to Starshield, a military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink service critical to Ukraine’s military operations. He said the service had faced "significant disruptions" in recent days, hampering Kyiv’s ability to shoot down Russian drones. Speaking about the latest disruptions, Zelensky said: "These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions. For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones." He added: "Unfortunately, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine."

Kyiv was "trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side," Zelensky said. SpaceX, the company which owns Starshield, told CNN that there had been no change in its service. CNN has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon.

Why it matters

The meetings show the US is pursuing a diplomatic track with both Russia and Ukraine while European leaders express concern about being excluded from negotiations shaping their own security. The reported Starshield restrictions come as Ukraine faces continued Russian drone and missile attacks, including an overnight ballistic missile and drone attack into Thursday and a drone strike in Kyiv on Thursday morning that killed at least one person.

---

Sources

• cnn.com: Witkoff and Kushner meet Zelensky after talks with Putin, as Ukraine says Starshield restricted again | CNN Politics
• bbc.com: Zelensky welcomes US bringing Europe into Russia-Ukraine peace talks

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.