The president of Ukraine has applauded US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff’s promise to include EU delegates in the next peace negotiations with Russia.
Volodymyr Zelensky stated that including European leaders in the negotiations will guaranty that the EU has a “voice” in the discussions, since they had voiced growing security concerns this week.
As part of a hectic day of shuttle diplomacy, Kushner and Witkoff met Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday nite. Earlier, they met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, who stated that Russia’s stance on the war and its territorial demands have not changed.
Ukraine Peace Talks and Prisoner Exchange
The meetings come after last week’s negotiations in Abu Dhabi failed to produce an agreement to end the conflict.
However, Russia and Ukraine did agree to another prisoner exchange on Thursday; this is the biggest exchange since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Kushner said that “thousands of people would be returned to their families,” but he did not specify how many inmates would be traded or when.
Europe's Role in Ukraine Peace Talks
Kushner stated on Thursday that the United States has been “working very, very closely over the past several months with Europeans and I think that that’s been very important.”
The importance of having European delegates “at the table” was something he had emphasized to Putin, he continued.”He’s open to trying it,” Kushner continued.
The present US government’s commitment to European security and its warming toward the Kremlin have long alarmed Ukraine and Europe.
Although Europeans have long maintained that they are essential to any post-war dynamics on their continent, Moscow has dismissed European involvement.
Kallas also questioned whether Russia was moving in the direction of a peace agreement.
Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin expressed his belief that Russia’s war had “fundamentally reshaped” regional security to a group of European leaders assembled in Dublin on Thursday.Because of what has transpired in Ukraine and the possibility of additional aggression on the European continent in the event that Ukraine falls, many EU member states perceive an existential threat,” he told reporters.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine.
Ukraine Faces Starlink Restrictions
Putin’s proposal that Kyiv cede control of parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas has been rejected.
Prior to Witkoff and Kushner’s meeting with Zelensky on Thursday, tensions between the US and Ukraine were evident.
The Ukrainian commander had before claimed that the military was having difficulty intercepting Russian jet-powered drones due to increased “systematic” restrictions on Starlink’s military-grade satellite service, Starshield.
Communication on the front lines of Ukraine has been greatly aided by Starshield technology, which was created by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company for use by the government and military.
