US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, 12 November, after US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, TASS, Meduza, the Associated Press (AP) and Euronews reported.
Kremlin officials confirmed the meeting: spokesman Dmitry Peskov to TASS and presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, according to Meduza.
Update, 13 November, 02:15: Dublin meeting held: Witkoff and Kushner met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening after their talks with Putin in Moscow, Anadolu Agency (AA) and Yahoo News reported. According to Yahoo News and EADaily, the meeting took place at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, west of Dublin, and Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov attended. Zelensky said the planned prisoner exchange with Russia would be the largest so far; no figures were given. He also said Europe would be represented at the negotiating table at the next meeting. No date or venue for the next round has been announced. (Sources: Anadolu Ajansı, Yahoo News, EADaily.)
Update, 12 November, 19:51: Kremlin foreign-policy aide Yuri Ushakov said after the meeting that the US envoys had actively supported Putin’s proposal to carry out a humanitarian operation in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka (Konstantinovka), modelled on an earlier operation in Oleshky (Aleshki), Interfax and Komsomolskaya Pravda reported. Putin had put forward the idea during the talks, saying Russia was ready to guarantee the safety of such a mission, according to REN TV (citing RIA Novosti), Lenta.ru and Novaya Gazeta Europe. Ushakov told journalists the operation would allow anyone to see for themselves who actually controls the city, Interfax and Komsomolskaya Pravda reported. (Sources: Interfax-Russia, Komsomolskaya Pravda, REN TV / RIA Novosti, Lenta.ru, Novaya Gazeta Europe.)
Update, 12 November, 17:46: The Kremlin talks between Putin and the US envoys ended at around 17:40 Moscow time (the same as Istanbul) after more than two hours, and the US delegation’s motorcade left the Kremlin, Interfax, Lenta.ru (citing RIA Novosti) and Business FM reported. In the part of the meeting open to the press, Putin said he would like peace in Ukraine to be lasting, even “eternal”, according to Interfax and Moscow 24. He asked the US administration to work with its European allies so that they decide whether they want peace or war in Ukraine, Interfax and The Moscow Times, citing Reuters, reported. Witkoff said he hoped a new round of trilateral contacts that would include Europeans could be announced, and Kushner said the US saw a strong European wish to end the conflict, according to Interfax, The Moscow Times and Novosti Mail.ru. The envoys are due to travel on to Dublin to meet Zelensky, Interfax and News.ru reported. No Kremlin readout of the closed part of the talks had been issued at the time of writing. (Sources: Interfax, Lenta.ru, Business FM, Interfax, The Moscow Times, Москва 24, Новости Mail, News.ru.)
Update, 12 November, 16:55: In the opening part of the Kremlin meeting, Putin asked the envoys to thank Trump for facilitating Russia–Ukraine contacts and pointed to humanitarian results, according to TASS, the independent Russian outlet SFG Media and Ukraine’s Glavred. Putin proposed a humanitarian mission in Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, modelled on the earlier one in Oleshky. He said Russia recognises only the state border as the dividing line with Ukraine and that foreign troops in Ukraine would be targets, SFG Media and Glavred reported. Witkoff said European representatives were not at the Abu Dhabi table but were briefed, and that he would brief Zelensky, while Kushner said the US had begun discussing a future European security architecture with European partners, according to both outlets. No joint statement on the outcome had been issued at the time of writing. (Sources: TASS, SFG Media, Главред.)
Abu Dhabi talks
The two days of talks in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday without a major breakthrough, AP and Euronews reported. They were the first direct meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in nine months, according to both.
Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle on a large prisoner exchange, AP and Euronews reported. Kushner called it "the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners" and said the final numbers would be set on Thursday, according to both outlets. Russia’s delegation head Vladimir Medinsky and Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov both confirmed the exchange, AP and Euronews reported.
Next stop Dublin
After Moscow, the two envoys are due in Dublin, Ireland, to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, AP, Euronews and Meduza reported.
Sources
- Putin to meet with US envoys Witkoff, Kushner today (TASS)
- ‘They’re bringing something’: Kushner and Witkoff to meet Putin in Moscow day after Abu Dhabi peace talks (Meduza)
- Kushner and Witkoff to Meet With Putin in Moscow (The Washington Sun / AP)
- Abu Dhabi peace talks end with prisoner exchange agreement as US envoys prepare to meet Putin (Euronews)
Photo: Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
