Zelensky welcomes plan to bring Europe into Ukraine peace talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed a pledge from U.S. envoys to include European Union delegates in the next round of peace talks with Russia, the BBC reported. Zelensky has said bringing Europeans into the negotiations would give the EU a “voice.”

The envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, met Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, according to the BBC. NPR, reporting earlier, said the envoys were scheduled to travel to Dublin after the Moscow meeting.

Their diplomacy followed U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi that produced no major breakthrough. The accounts differ on timing: NPR said the two days of talks ended Wednesday, while the BBC described them as having taken place last week.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to another prisoner exchange, though no number of prisoners or timetable was announced. Kushner said the swap would return “thousands of people to their families.” The BBC described it as the largest exchange agreed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Kushner said he had stressed to Putin the importance of having European delegates “at the table.” The United States had worked closely with Europeans for months, he said, adding that Putin was “willing to give it a try.” According to NPR, Washington and Zelensky want Europe to appoint one person to negotiate with Moscow. Russia has opposed European participation in direct talks, complaining that European countries finance and supply Ukraine’s military effort.

Putin told the envoys that Russia’s territorial demands had not changed. NPR reported that he also reiterated his opposition to European troops entering Ukraine after a ceasefire, saying Russia would regard them as legitimate targets. Zelensky has said Ukraine will not surrender Russian-occupied territory for peace. Russian forces control approximately one-fifth of Ukraine, according to the BBC.

European leaders are pressing for a role in decisions affecting their security. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told the BBC that the prospect of a European delegate showed the Kremlin “now realised that Europe is a big player,” but she questioned whether Russia was moving toward a deal. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the war had “fundamentally reshaped” regional security and that many EU members feared further aggression if Ukraine were to fall.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, in Dublin for a gathering of more than 40 European countries, said the United States, Europe and Ukraine were “very much aligned” on security guarantees. “But now of course we need the peace deal, or at least a ceasefire,” he said, according to NPR.

Fighting continued alongside the diplomacy. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched missiles and 123 drones overnight, including 73 jet-powered drones, with hits recorded at 17 locations. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had downed 71 Ukrainian drones and struck facilities producing drones and missile fuel in and around Kyiv.

Zelensky also said Thursday that Ukrainian military units had recorded significant disruptions to Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite service. NPR reported that he described speed restrictions limiting Ukrainian drones to 161 kilometers per hour, or 100 mph. Zelensky said in Dublin that the limits covered operations in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and that Kyiv was seeking answers from U.S. officials.