European officials will join upcoming talks on ending the war in Ukraine, though officials disagree on postwar security arrangements, according to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff and Kushner led direct talks in Abu Dhabi
President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the development on Thursday following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, The Washington Post reported. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner traveled directly to the Russian capital from Abu Dhabi.
In Abu Dhabi, the U.S. negotiators led the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in nine months. However, after the Kremlin meeting, it remained unclear which European representatives might join future discussions or what format those talks would take.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov expressed skepticism regarding multilateral formats. “They are eager to join the negotiations, but, as our president has stated, they must decide whether they want peace or a continuation of the war,” Ushakov said at a briefing.
Postwar Security and Territorial Demands
Putin rejected proposals for European peacekeepers in Ukraine during Thursday’s discussions. “From the very beginning, we have stated that the presence of foreign troops in Ukraine is absolutely unacceptable to us,” Putin said.
If a major prisoner exchange does indeed take place, the Abu Dhabi-meeting will have been worth it. That was all that could be expected, and that is all that came of it. Putin sticks to his maximum objectives. He is counting on wearing down Ukraine over the winter and driving a…
The Russian president warned that foreign troops deployed to Ukraine would become legitimate military targets. “For us, that constitutes a legitimate military target. The war would resume instantly,” Putin added during the Kremlin meeting.
According to The Guardian, Putin also refused to soften his territorial demands, insisting on full control over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed.
Zelenskyy reports Starlink disruptions amid diplomatic efforts
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported fresh disruptions to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service during the diplomatic push. Zelenskyy said that the military version of the system, known as Starshield, faced deliberate speed limits along the frontline.
European leaders meeting in Dublin for a summit emphasized existing security frameworks. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas maintained that Europe already possesses a functioning security architecture through historical accords.
Meanwhile, Russian state media reported that Putin proposed a humanitarian mission to the frontline city of Kostyantynivkan in eastern Ukraine during his talks with the American delegation.
Who participated in the Abu Dhabi negotiations?
Who participated in the Abu Dhabi negotiations?
The talks in Abu Dhabi included direct delegations from Russia and Ukraine, mediated by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, alongside separate consultations with European officials.
💬 President #Putin to US envoys: We worked well together on humanitarian issues in #Alyoshki. There is a town in Donbass called #Konstantinovka. Some 400-500 civilians are still there. 👉 Let us do what we did in Alyoshki.https://t.co/tTSJPGV3VV pic.twitter.com/COQuwQKs1l
What are Russia’s demands regarding European troops?
President Vladimir Putin said that any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers would be considered a direct threat to Russia and treated as legitimate military targets.
What security guarantees have Western nations proposed?
European leaders and the U.S. previously discussed a postwar security plan involving air power, intelligence support, and a reassurance force of 26 nations to enforce a truce.
.@SEPeaceMissions, @jaredkushner, and I met in Ireland following all the negotiations held this week. First, a humanitarian outcome – prisoners will be released, and we are counting on the largest prisoner exchange since the start of this war. The second outcome – we are… pic.twitter.com/C7VvLrCnNR
More on Ukraine
In Dublin, I met with the national security advisors of the E4 countries – the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy – as well as those of the European Commission and the European Council. I thanked them for their engagement in communication with the American side, their… pic.twitter.com/Dh6OUHshbh
Related reading