US envoys to meet Putin and Zelenskyy after Abu Dhabi talks
Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow and Dublin to continue peace efforts following US-mediated negotiations.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, according to the Times of India. The envoys will then travel to Dublin to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The meetings follow two days of US-mediated discussions between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi. These talks, which were the first of their kind since February, resulted in an agreement in principle for a major prisoner exchange.
Kushner described the planned exchange as the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, though specific numbers have not been finalised. While Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky confirmed the exchange, the two sides remain divided on other issues.
Territorial disputes and security guarantees remain significant hurdles in the negotiations. Zelenskyy has maintained that Ukraine will not agree to surrender occupied territory for peace, while Russia continues to demand a military withdrawal from eastern Ukraine.
Kushner stated that one aim of the meeting with Putin is to explore if Europeans can be added to the negotiation format. The envoys intend to use the meetings to explore openings and ideas identified during the Abu Dhabi discussions.
Meanwhile, fighting continues along the front lines. Local authorities in the Odesa region reported that a Russian strike on a market killed three people and injured 11 others.
