U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived at the Kremlin on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin, seeking to restart peace efforts in Ukraine after two days of U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi discussions were the first direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials in nine months.
The talks ended Wednesday with an agreement on a large prisoner exchange, though the number of prisoners has not been settled. No breakthrough on ending the war, which began in 2014 in eastern Ukraine and escalated on Feb. 24, 2022, emerged from the meetings.
Kushner said one goal of the Putin meeting is to win approval for European representatives to join talks on the continent’s broader security. Moscow has resisted European involvement, while Europe has been concerned about Russia’s intentions. After the Kremlin visit, the envoys planned to fly to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy called the prisoner swap a positive step but said Ukraine will not surrender territory Russia occupies. He said upcoming political changes, including Democrats taking control of the U.S. House in January and elections in France next year, could create a window for a deal before 2027.
Fighting continues along a front line of about 1,200 kilometers. Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight. In a separate incident, a Russian serviceman was killed early Thursday when a car bomb exploded in St. Petersburg, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
