Witkoff Says Europeans Will Join Next Round of Ukraine Talks After Meeting Putin in Moscow

The update

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday, following US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. Leaving Moscow, Witkoff told CNN that progress was made and a new meeting had been set, and he confirmed that European representatives will join the next meeting. Putin said a four-way dialogue would follow once Europe appoints a negotiator to speak on its behalf. He refused to soften his territorial demands, insisting on full control over four Ukrainian regions Moscow claims to have annexed, and warned Russia would target any foreign troops deployed to Ukraine.

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Why it matters

European participation would change a process that has centred on Washington, Moscow and Kyiv, putting postwar European security on the table. But Abu Dhabi produced no ceasefire, only an agreement in principle on a prisoner exchange with numbers still to be finalised, and disputes over territory and security guarantees remain unresolved. EU leaders have not yet appointed a representative.

What to watch

Witkoff and Kushner travel to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. EU leaders discuss on Friday who should speak for Europe. Watch for a date for the new round, finalised prisoner numbers, and whether Putin and US President Donald Trump discuss Ukraine at this month’s APEC summit in China, as the Kremlin said they would.

Sources

• theguardian.com — confirms Witkoff’s statement that Europeans will join the next meeting, Putin’s remarks and the Dublin briefing plan
• lapresse.us — confirms, from Witkoff’s CNN interview on leaving Moscow, that agreement was reached to meet again

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