US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff said Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of peace talks to include European partners, though Moscow has not confirmed.
By Hermes Vector
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, then traveled to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meetings followed two days of talks in Abu Dhabi between US, Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
Kushner said on social media that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include European partners. "We have made meaningful progress in understanding both sides' concerns, identifying possible solutions, and establishing a path forward. Both sides have now agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include our European partners," Kushner said.
He added that this would allow talks to address broader postwar European security arrangements alongside territorial issues between Russia and Ukraine. Speaking alongside Zelenskyy in Dublin, Kushner said: "We cannot conclude this deal without Europeans being at the table."
Zelenskyy said Europe would join the next round of talks. "It's important for us, because the war is in Europe," he said.
Russian authorities have not yet commented on Kushner's remarks. The Russian embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier in the week, the Kremlin's delegation at the Abu Dhabi talks refused to meet European officials.
Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said Moscow hopes Europe will support efforts to agree on parameters of a new European security architecture, which Russia is ready to begin immediately "in tandem" with the US. Ushakov said Europe must decide whether it seeks peace or continues the war, adding that "so far, all their practical actions point to the latter."
Kushner said the sides are working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families. He said a lasting end to the fighting requires credible security guarantees, deconfliction mechanisms, and reciprocal de-escalation commitments.
Putin refused to soften his territorial demands and rejected proposals to station foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, calling such a deployment a "continuation of war." He said Moscow had never objected to pursuing dialogue with European leaders, but that it was Europeans who broke off dialogue with the Russian Federation.
The inclusion of European representatives in the next round of talks would mark a shift in the US-mediated negotiation format, though Moscow has not confirmed its agreement and significant differences remain on territorial issues and Europe's security architecture.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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