Zelensky and Kushner Say Europe Will Join Next Russia-Ukraine Talks
Russia and Ukraine may broaden their next round of negotiations to include European countries, marking a shift from the format used in Abu Dhabi, where European governments remained on the sidelines. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said European representatives would have a voice in future discussions, while US envoy Jared Kushner argued that a peace agreement could not be concluded without them. Kushner said Vladimir Putin was willing to try the expanded approach, although the Kremlin did not confirm that Putin had agreed to European participation. An EU official said representatives of five European capitals and the European Commission had already met US envoys, and that a new multilateral meeting would be arranged soon.
The diplomatic contacts followed meetings in Moscow between Putin and US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, followed by talks between the envoys and Zelensky in Dublin. Kushner also said Washington was working toward what could become the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially bringing thousands of people back to their families. The discussions nevertheless showed no clear Russian retreat from its demands: Putin reportedly maintained the Kremlin’s hardline position on how the war should end, while offering only a short-term ceasefire in a key frontline city. Zelensky separately said Ukrainian military units had detected significant new disruptions to Starshield satellite communications across the entire front line and in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.
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