Zelensky welcomes US pledge to bring EU into Russia-Ukraine peace talks
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff pledged to include European Union delegates in the next round of peace talks with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the move.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed a pledge by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to include European Union delegates in the next round of peace talks with Russia. Zelensky said it would give the EU a "voice" in the negotiations. The issue is pressing as European leaders have voiced deepening security concerns this week.
Kushner and Witkoff met Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening. Earlier the same day they had met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, who said Russia's position on the war and its territorial demands had not changed. The meetings followed talks in Abu Dhabi last week that produced no breakthrough in ending the war.
On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine also agreed to another prisoner exchange, the largest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Kushner said it would return "thousands of people to their families", but he gave no details on the number of prisoners or a timeline.
Zelensky has for several years called for European participation in the talks, arguing it makes sense given Kyiv's longer-term ambition to join the EU. Kushner said the US has worked "very, very closely" with Europeans over recent months, and that he stressed to Putin the importance of having them "at the table". According to Kushner, Putin is "willing to give it a try".
Kaja Kallas, Vice President of the European Commission and the EU's top diplomat, told the BBC's Newshour that a European delegate's presence showed the Kremlin "now realised that Europe is a big player". She also doubted that Russia was moving towards a peace deal. Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin told European leaders gathered in Dublin that the region's security had been "fundamentally reshaped" by Russia's war.
Ukraine and Europe have long been concerned about the current US government's commitment to European security and its softening towards the Kremlin. Moscow has been dismissive of European involvement.
Tensions between the US and Ukraine were also visible on Thursday. Zelensky said the military faced more "systematic" restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade version of Starlink satellite service, leaving Kyiv struggling to intercept Russian jet-powered drones. Roughly one-fifth of Ukraine remains under Russian control.
