US Envoys to Meet Putin and Zelensky After Abu Dhabi Talks
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are travelling between Moscow and Dublin on Thursday in an effort to advance negotiations over the war in Ukraine. They will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin first, then Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, after two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi. The discussions produced agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner exchange, although neither side announced how many people would be involved.
Zelensky said a “window of opportunity” might open to end the conflict before 2027, while acknowledging that he remained sceptical. He said the envoys were taking specific proposals to Putin and hoped they would return to Dublin with concrete results. European leaders are pressing for a formal role in the negotiations, but Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said Europe already had representatives in European Council head Antonio Costa and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The diplomatic activity comes amid continued violence. The Russian management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant said a Ukrainian drone strike killed an employee at his home in Enerhodar, the 15th such death reported since April. Russia seized the six-reactor facility during its February 2022 invasion, and both sides regularly accuse each other of actions that threaten nuclear safety. A separate Russian strike on a market in Ukraine’s Odesa region killed three people and injured 11, according to the regional governor.
Continue in the app — vote & join in ➔