US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow that European representatives would join the next round of negotiations on the war in Ukraine.
As CNN reports, before departing from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport, Witkoff described Europeans as US partners and emphasised the importance of their participation in the negotiating process.
US President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also took part in the meeting in Moscow, added that Europeans want the war to end and a lasting peace, and that a detailed discussion of all issues would form the basis for future multilateral talks.
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian dictator, played down Witkoff’s statement about Europe joining the trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States. He said Europeans are making every effort to get to the negotiating table, but allegedly must first decide what they want — peace or the continuation of the war. In addition, earlier this week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticised the presence of European officials in Abu Dhabi, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there had been no contacts there between Russians and EU representatives.
Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi: what we know
- In recent weeks, Witkoff and Kushner have met both Putin and Zelenskyy.
- The talks in Abu Dhabi took place over two days — 10 and 11 November — with the participation of Ukrainian, Russian and US delegations, as well as European representatives. The sides agreed on a prisoner-of-war exchange that could be the largest since the start of the war. US and Ukrainian officials said the exact number of prisoners to be released would be determined during meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy.
- According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the United States often raised the issue of Donbas in the talks and focused on Ukraine having to leave its own land in order to stop the war. The President considers such a demand unacceptable.
- After their visit to Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner will travel to Dublin, where they will meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to brief him on the results of the meeting with Putin.
- Incidentally, the United States asked Russia to prepare a new proposal for a future security agreement with Europe, which would also include steps by Moscow to reduce tensions on the continent, Axios reported.
- Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy outlined three main points from the Abu Dhabi talks. According to him, one of the most important outcomes was Europe’s involvement in the diplomatic process.