Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held Kremlin talks with Russia’s president before heading to Ireland to meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
United States envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday morning to push for momentum on a Ukraine peace framework, PBS NewsHour reported. The Kremlin meeting lasted about two hours before the American negotiators departed for Dublin to confer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The diplomatic shuttle followed two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates, where negotiators reached an agreement in principle on a major prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi without securing a broader truce. Those sessions marked the first direct bilateral negotiations mediated by Washington between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in nine months.
Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met Kushner and Witkoff at their plane upon arrival in the Russian capital, Al Jazeera reported. In Dublin, Zelenskyy joined leaders from more than 40 nations for a European Political Community summit that also brought together NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Pushing for European involvement
A central objective of the Moscow visit was seeking Putin’s approval to integrate European delegates into broader negotiations regarding continental security, Kushner stated. Both Washington and Kyiv want European nations to select a single negotiator to deal directly with Moscow, according to PBS NewsHour.
Moscow remains opposed to allowing European governments at the negotiating table, citing their ongoing financial and military backing of Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed European leaders face domestic ostracism whenever they attempt contact with Russian officials. Meanwhile, European capitals have raised alarms over potential concessions regarding NATO deployment strategies, particularly after President Donald Trump recently lifted certain sanctions and agreed to import Russian diesel.
During the Kremlin session, Putin insisted that deploying European peacekeeping troops to Ukraine following any ceasefire would be rejected outright by Moscow. Putin warned that Russian forces would treat those personnel as targets, stating that “in other words, the war would resume immediately.” Putin also reaffirmed that any eventual settlement must recognize Russian sovereignty over four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claimed to annex in 2022.
Territory and tech disputes persist
Speaking in Dublin, Zelenskyy maintained that Ukraine will not cede Russian-occupied land in exchange for an end to hostilities, even as he pointed to the proposed prisoner exchange as a helpful step. Zelenskyy suggested that upcoming shifts, including Democrats taking control of the U.S. Congress in January after midterm voting and French elections next year, could create new openings for diplomacy.
At the same time, friction over battlefield technology surfaced again during the diplomatic visits. Zelenskyy announced on social media that Ukrainian military units encountered fresh restrictions on the Starshield satellite internet network operated by SpaceX, BBC News reported. The limitations slowed Ukrainian drone operations to 161 kilometers per hour, hampering efforts to intercept Russian aerial attacks. Elon Musk previously confirmed a temporary throttling of Starlink connections in Ukraine, stating the system was not meant for offensive operations against Russian territory.
Frontline warfare continued unabated during the diplomacy. Ukrainian air defenses reported facing 123 drones and incoming missiles overnight, with strikes recorded across 17 locations. The Russian Defense Ministry reported destroying 71 Ukrainian drones and striking four facilities producing missile fuel and drone components in the Kyiv area. In St. Petersburg, a Russian military colonel died Thursday morning when an explosive device detonated inside his car.
What happens next
The American delegation travels next to Ireland to brief Ukrainian officials on the discussions held in the Kremlin. Kushner and Witkoff are scheduled to meet Zelenskyy in Dublin to review revised peace proposals, Al Jazeera reported.
European governments are preparing additional punitive measures against Moscow alongside the diplomatic efforts. French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad announced that the European Union plans to approve new sanctions on Monday targeting 50 Russian banks and 150 additional entities.
