US Wants Europe at the Next Ukraine Peace Talks
Two days of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Abu Dhabi ended without a breakthrough, but they clarified both the scale of the obstacles and Washington’s changing approach. Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s envoy, said the sides had held “tough discussions” because there is currently no trust between them. Talks covered every major issue, including the hardest question: the future of disputed Ukrainian territory.
The atmosphere deteriorated as the meetings continued. Tuesday’s four-and-a-half-hour session was described by officials as “constructive,” while Wednesday’s lasted only two hours and was judged merely “neutral.” Ukrainian negotiators believed Moscow had issued strict instructions that limited what Russia’s delegation could agree to. Kyiv also said it persuaded the American side to accept its assessment of the front line and of how much Ukrainian territory Russia has actually captured, rather than Moscow’s claims.
The main concrete outcome was a proposed prisoner exchange that Kushner called potentially the largest since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. The final number had not yet been agreed, however, and the arrangement still required Vladimir Putin’s approval. Kushner planned to travel to Moscow with Steve Witkoff to discuss the talks and seek further progress.
A central goal of that visit was to persuade Putin to allow European representatives into the next round of negotiations. The United States then intended to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin, while Ukraine pushed for another meeting to be scheduled soon. Kyiv hopes for an agreement before the end of the year, as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and energy infrastructure ahead of another winter.
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