Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed a pledge from the United States to bring European Union delegates into the next round of peace talks with Russia, saying Europe must have a voice in negotiations to end the war.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff made the commitment when they met Zelenskyy in Dublin on Thursday evening, after a day of shuttle diplomacy that began with talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
“They will have a voice. This is important for us because the war is in Europe,” Zelenskyy said after the meeting at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, west of Dublin. “We will be a member of the EU in the future, that’s why it’s very important.”
Kushner said the US had been working closely with European partners for months and that Europe could not be left on the sidelines. “We cannot conclude this deal without the Europeans being at the table,” he said, adding that Putin was willing to “give it a try” when the envoys raised European participation in Moscow.
01. Prisoner exchange also agreed
Thursday also saw Russia and Ukraine agree to another prisoner exchange, which Zelenskyy said would be the largest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Neither side has said how many prisoners will be released, or when the swap will take place.
The meetings followed two days of US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi earlier in the week, which ended without a breakthrough on ending the fighting.
02. Doubts remain over Moscow’s position
No European representative has been named, and no date or place has been set for the next round of talks. The Kremlin has not formally confirmed that European delegates will take part. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said after the Moscow meeting that Europeans “must decide whether they want peace or the continuation of the war”.
Zelenskyy has called for European delegates to be included in the peace talks for several years, arguing that it makes sense given Kyiv’s long-term ambition to join the European Union. European leaders have expressed deepening security concerns this week as the war continues into its fifth year.
Witkoff said another meeting was already “on the schedule”, but gave no date. The question of who would represent Europe, and in what format, is still to be decided.
