Witkoff, Kushner Meet Putin: Ukraine Talks Restart, Europe to Join
US envoys Witkoff and Kushner met Vladimir Putin in Moscow and said trilateral Ukraine talks have restarted, with a new meeting set and Europe to join.
Image: Wikimedia Commons / Presidential Executive Office of Russia
MOSCOW — US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday and said the trilateral peace process on Ukraine has restarted, with a new round of talks set and European representatives to join the next session.
The meeting followed two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine mediated by the United States in nine months. Those talks produced an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange but no breakthrough on a ceasefire, and the dispute over territory remains unresolved.
- Witkoff said progress was made in Moscow and the trilateral format has restarted, with a new meeting set — though no date or venue was announced.
- European representatives are to join the next round, Witkoff said, a step Kushner pressed for in the Kremlin meeting.
- The Abu Dhabi talks agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange, the only concrete result, with the number of prisoners still to be announced.
What Witkoff and Kushner Agreed With Putin in Moscow
Speaking to reporters at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport before flying on to Dublin, Witkoff said the Kremlin session had moved the process forward. "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."
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov called the talks constructive and confirmed the trilateral talks would continue. He added that Putin would continue discussions with President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China later this month.
Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev received the Americans at the airport before the session at the Kremlin's Senate Palace.
Why Europe Will Join the Next Round of Ukraine Talks
Witkoff said European representatives would take part in the next round, a change Kushner had sought in Moscow. Ushakov confirmed the talks would continue but played down the claim, leaving the format unclear.
The push for a European seat comes as leaders from more than 40 European countries gathered in Dublin on Thursday for a summit of the European Political Community focused on the continent's security. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the summit and was due to meet the envoys in Dublin on Thursday evening to be briefed on the Moscow meeting.
Zelenskyy has described the moment as a "window of opportunity" and said a result could come by the beginning of 2027. He said he expected the envoys to convey Russia's response to proposals for an energy truce and a ceasefire at sea.
What Still Blocks a Ukraine Ceasefire: Territory and the Donbas
The positive language from Moscow sits against a deadlock on the central issue: Kyiv has rejected Putin's demand that it surrender all of the eastern Donbas region.
The United States said after the Abu Dhabi round that differences remained on major issues, including territory, but that some progress had been made on post-war security guarantees. The prisoner exchange agreed there remains the only concrete result so far. Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid in the run-up to the talks underlined how far the fighting is from stopping.
| Date | Step in the Ukraine peace process |
|---|---|
| November 10–11, 2026 | Trilateral round in Abu Dhabi; large-scale prisoner exchange agreed |
| November 12, 2026 | Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow; trilateral talks restarted |
| Not yet announced | Next trilateral round, with Europe to join |
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the next round of Ukraine peace talks?
No date or venue has been announced. Witkoff said a new meeting has been set after the Moscow talks on November 12, and the envoys said they hoped to announce it soon.
Will Europe join the Ukraine peace talks?
Witkoff said European representatives would join the next round. Ushakov confirmed the trilateral talks would continue but played down the claim that Europeans would take part, so the format is not yet settled.
What did the Abu Dhabi Ukraine talks achieve?
The November 10–11 talks in Abu Dhabi agreed a large-scale prisoner exchange but produced no breakthrough on a ceasefire or territory. The number of prisoners has not been announced.
Witkoff and Kushner were due to brief Zelenskyy in Dublin on Thursday evening before he returns to Kyiv; the Kremlin has not yet confirmed a date for the next round.
