US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday, expanding peace talks to cover broader European security and proposing that European nations join future negotiations, according to VOA News.
The high-level talks follow two days of discussions in Abu Dhabi between American, Russian, and Ukrainian officials. Following those sessions, Russian and Ukrainian authorities announced a tentative agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange.
Russian state media reported that Putin proposed an evacuation of civilians from Kostiantynivka, a contested city in eastern Ukraine. The plan is modeled on a similar humanitarian evacuation operation conducted last month in Oleshky, according to VOA News.
Opening the Kremlin meeting, Witkoff said that the atmosphere in Abu Dhabi was positive and that negotiating teams from Russia and Ukraine worked smoothly together.
“We are hoping that soon, hopefully by the end of this current round, we’ll be able to announce a next trilateral that includes Europe as well,” said Witkoff, speaking to VOA News.
European officials were present in Abu Dhabi but did not sit at the negotiating table, as Moscow has historically opposed direct European participation. Kushner said American officials and European partners have begun discussions regarding how to structure the security architecture of the European continent.
“The Europeans want to make sure that when this war really ends, that peace is lasting for a long time,” Kushner told VOA News. “Understanding long-term security between Russia, Ukraine, and Europe is a dialogue that we started with the European side.”
However, Putin told the envoys that any future deployment of European troops to Ukraine after a ceasefire is unacceptable to Moscow, warning that Russian authorities would treat those forces as legitimate targets.
Meanwhile, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky maintained a hardline stance on territorial disputes during an interview with Russian state television, stating that wherever a Russian soldier’s foot steps becomes Russian land, according to VOA News. Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia described the talks as the most difficult since the war began, noting that the Russian delegation arrived with very strict instructions.
While diplomats met, fighting continued across Ukraine. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that a Russian drone strike hit a nine-story residential building in Kyiv overnight, killing one woman and injuring five people, as cited by VOA News. The Ukrainian air force said that Russia launched 123 drones and missiles, including 73 jet-propelled drones.
Putin proposed an evacuation of civilians from the contested eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, using last month’s humanitarian evacuation in Oleshky as a model.
Putin met with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, accompanied by presidential aides Yury Ushakov and Vladimir Medinsky, as well as special envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Witkoff and Kushner planned to travel to Dublin, Ireland, late Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was attending a European Political Community summit.
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