OMM Newsroom
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to European representatives joining the next round of peace talks on Ukraine, AnewZ reported. US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the agreement on European participation as “a very important moment” in remarks to Russian state television after a meeting at the Kremlin.
Witkoff said Putin had called for Washington to work with its European allies to determine whether they wanted peace or war in Ukraine.
US special envoy Jared Kushner wrote on the social media platform X that the parties had agreed to expand the next stage of talks to include European partners. This would allow discussions of Europe’s post-war security arrangements alongside territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia, he said.
Kushner said that after trilateral talks with Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi, US representatives travelled to Moscow to meet Putin and then to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the end of the day, they held consultations with national security advisers from Ukraine, Germany, Italy, the European Union, France, Ireland and Poland.
Kushner said considerable work had been done to resume direct talks after a months-long pause. The sides had made significant progress in understanding each other’s concerns, identifying possible solutions and establishing a framework for moving forward, he said. However, serious differences remain between them.
A lasting peace agreement would require credible security guarantees, mechanisms to reduce tensions and mutual commitments to lower the risk of future conflict, he said. Kushner added that they had agreed to remain in close contact with Zelenskyy on these issues, stressing that broader European security arrangements would not be finalised without taking Ukraine’s security concerns into account. Except for humanitarian measures, decisions on any issue would not be finalised until a comprehensive agreement was reached, he said.
Kushner also wrote that they were working to arrange the largest prisoner exchange of the war, which could allow thousands of people to return to their families. Details of the exchange were not disclosed. The direction and schedule of the talks, along with further information, are expected to be announced soon.
After meeting US representatives Witkoff and Kushner, Zelenskyy welcomed the possibility of Europe joining the talks. He stressed the importance of restarting diplomatic efforts and said he hoped future discussions would consider ceasefire arrangements and ways to reduce tensions.
Territorial issues remain a key obstacle in talks
This week’s meetings in Abu Dhabi were the first round of peace talks on Ukraine in nine months. Moscow and Kyiv failed to reach agreement on several key issues, particularly their positions on territory.
Russia controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory and continues to seek control of parts of the eastern Donbas region. Kyiv has repeatedly rejected demands to give up territory under its control.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump, who vowed to end the war after returning to the White House, has yet to secure a peace agreement.
