Delegates from Russia, Ukraine and the United States concluded negotiations in Abu Dhabi with an agreement for a large-scale prisoner of war swap, Il Sole 24 ORE reported.
The visit coincided with the resumption of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, in Abu Dhabi, after an interruption lasting almost nine months.
The talks lasted less than two hours, according to Il Sole 24 ORE. While the session did not produce an immediate ceasefire, U.S. representatives structured the diplomatic engagement around post-war security arrangements to unblock the dialogue.
Chief Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinskij expressed dismissive views of European involvement, while U.S. envoy Jared Kushner emphasized the necessity of European participation at the negotiating table, Il Sole 24 ORE noted.
“We need the Europeans at the negotiation,” said Jared Kushner, U.S. envoy, urging European leaders to designate a single representative.
The United States asked Russia to draft a new security pact proposal for Europe that includes measures from Moscow to reduce continental tensions, ANSA reported, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter speaking to Axios.
Moscow has long sought an agreement limiting NATO expansion and reducing military presence in Eastern Europe. Although Washington previously rejected these demands, current diplomatic efforts incorporate them into broader discussions to end the war, according to ANSA. European governments maintain strong reservations regarding this U.S. approach.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Danish parliament, insisting that Europe must have a seat at future peace negotiations alongside Ukraine, Russia, and the United States, RaiNews reported. Zelensky called for coordination “as tight as possible” within Europe, to ensure “that the Americans and Russians listen to the European position”.
“When decisions are made about what the next decades will look like in this part of the world, during talks between the United States and Russia, Europe must be at the table. This is the firm position of Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, during his address in Denmark.
U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are scheduled to travel to Moscow on Thursday to present the Abu Dhabi developments to Vladimir Putin, Il Sole 24 ORE reported.
“I hope that on Thursday in Moscow Steve and I will have success, and that Putin gives his blessing for this to happen. In this case, I think we will be able to make much more progress, because there are openings and opportunities,” said Jared Kushner, U.S. envoy.
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