US envoys announce new Ukraine-Russia talks after meeting Putin, say Europeans will join
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner said a new round of negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States had been scheduled following their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 12. They also said European representatives would participate in the next talks.
Speaking to CNN at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport before departing Russia, Witkoff described the discussions as progress toward restarting negotiations.
"I think progress was made. I think it was made earlier today," he said. "People didn't think that we were going to restart trilateral. We've restarted it. We've set a new meeting."
Witkoff said European representatives would join the next round, calling them important partners. CNN did not specify which European countries would be represented or what role they would play.
Kushner, US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, described the discussions with Putin as extensive and detailed, saying he hoped they would help shape the next multilateral negotiations.
The two US envoys were expected to travel to Dublin, Ireland, to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on their Moscow meeting. Zelenskyy was attending a summit of the European Political Community in the Irish capital.
The Moscow meeting followed two days of US-mediated talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. Those discussions ended without a breakthrough on ending Russia's war against Ukraine, although Kyiv described progress on some issues.
Europe's potential participation marks a notable point of contention. Ukraine has repeatedly argued that European countries must be involved in negotiations affecting the continent's security. Russia, however, has resisted their inclusion.
Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized European officials' presence in Abu Dhabi as an unpromising approach. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on November 11 that no contacts with European Union representatives had been planned or held there.
During Thursday's meeting, Putin told the US envoys that Russia had never opposed dialogue with Europe and claimed he wanted a lasting peace.
No details of the newly scheduled talks, including their date, venue or European participants, were immediately announced.
The diplomatic efforts continued as Russia launched another missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight. At least one person was killed in Kyiv, according to local authorities.