Putin agrees to include European representatives in Ukraine peace talks
US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the move after meeting the Russian President in Moscow.
President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to allow European representatives to participate in the next round of peace negotiations regarding Ukraine, according to a report by ThePrint. US envoy Steve Witkoff announced the decision after meeting Putin at the Kremlin, stating that Europeans are considered partners and their participation is important.
Following the Moscow meeting, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Dublin. Zelenskiy said he was pleased with the prospect of European involvement and expressed hope that future discussions would address de-escalation and ceasefire measures.
During the Kremlin talks, Kushner told Putin that Washington had detected a big change on the European side and believed expanding the talks would not hinder progress. However, Putin stated that Europe had previously broken off dialogue with the Russian Federation.
Putin warned that the European idea of sending Western troops into Ukraine after a peace deal would be seen as a threat to Russian security. He told the US envoys that Washington should work with European allies to decide if they want peace or war in Ukraine.
In Dublin, Zelenskiy also noted that new restrictions were affecting the US-made Starshield satellite communications used on the battlefield. He described the US approach of discussing a new European security order with Russia as being a bit strange.
The two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi were the first direct US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in nine months. While both sides reported progress, major differences remain regarding territorial issues.
