By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, Nov. 12, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to build on diplomatic progress achieved during two days of peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi.
The American representatives will travel first to Moscow for discussions with Putin before continuing to Dublin, Ireland, where Zelenskyy is attending meetings with European leaders. The diplomatic initiative follows the conclusion of U.S.-mediated negotiations Wednesday involving Russian and Ukrainian delegations, which produced an agreement to pursue a major prisoner exchange but failed to resolve longstanding disputes over territory and postwar security arrangements.
Speaking after the negotiations, Kushner described the discussions as substantive despite considerable disagreements between the two countries. He said the American delegation had identified potential areas of compromise that warranted direct consultations with both presidents.
“Steve and I are going to travel to Moscow tomorrow to meet with President Putin to go over what was discussed today and try to make more progress on some of the issues that we discussed because we see some openings and some opportunities there,” Kushner said, according to CNN’s coverage of the negotiations.
Following the Moscow meeting, the envoys intend to brief Zelenskyy and explore possible next steps. Kushner said the discussions with the Ukrainian president would focus on proposals developed during the Abu Dhabi meetings and opportunities to move negotiations forward.
The most immediate result of the two-day summit was an agreement in principle on a substantial exchange of prisoners held by Russia and Ukraine. Kushner characterized the proposed exchange as potentially the largest since the conflict began, although negotiators did not announce the number of prisoners involved or a timetable for their release.
The Agence France-Presse report on Wednesday’s developments said the prisoner exchange represented the clearest progress from the negotiations, which marked the first direct U.S.-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives since February. Earlier diplomatic efforts were interrupted as Washington redirected substantial attention toward its military conflict with Iran.
The humanitarian agreement remains subject to further coordination. Kushner said he hoped Thursday’s meeting with Putin would help finalize prisoner releases and other humanitarian measures before the American delegation continued discussions with Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s president confirmed that his representatives had briefed him on the results of the negotiations and said he expected further coordination with Washington following the Moscow meeting.
“Next, the American representatives are heading to Russia, and after those talks, we will coordinate our positions once again and determine what next steps are possible. We are meeting with them tomorrow in Dublin,” Zelenskyy said in remarks reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
The diplomatic progress comes despite substantial differences between Moscow and Kyiv over territory occupied by Russian forces. Russia continues to demand Ukrainian concessions in the eastern Donbas region, including territory its military has not captured, while Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected surrendering additional land as a condition for peace.
Ukraine is also seeking security commitments from Western governments that would deter another Russian invasion following a settlement. Moscow opposes Ukrainian membership in NATO and has rejected the presence of Western military forces on Ukrainian territory, complicating efforts to establish guarantees acceptable to both sides.
According to Bloomberg’s account of the negotiations, Ukrainian officials reported no breakthrough on Russia’s territorial demands or the possible withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from parts of the Donbas region.
Kyiv’s negotiators have also sought progress on measures to reduce attacks against energy infrastructure and commercial shipping. Ahead of Wednesday’s session, Zelenskyy identified a potential energy ceasefire, restrictions on military activity at sea, prisoner exchanges and preparations for a possible meeting between the countries’ leaders as immediate diplomatic priorities.
The possibility of direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy remains uncertain. Kushner indicated that Moscow wants additional progress at the negotiating level before agreeing to a presidential meeting, reflecting the limited trust between the two governments after nearly five years of full-scale war.
Another major disagreement concerns the participation of European governments in future negotiations. Ukraine wants its European allies involved in shaping any settlement, particularly because they would be expected to contribute to reconstruction, security guarantees and the implementation of a ceasefire.
Representatives from the European Union, NATO, Britain, France, Germany and Italy participated in consultations with American and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi. However, they were not included in the negotiations with Russia after Moscow opposed their participation.
Kushner said Washington intends to raise the issue directly with Putin and explore expanding the current three-party negotiations into a broader international format. The American delegation considers European involvement important because a lasting agreement would likely require commitments from governments beyond the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky expressed skepticism about including European officials, questioning what they could contribute to the discussions. He said Moscow had not received concrete peace proposals from European governments and suggested that negotiations should continue through the existing format.
Despite those disagreements, Medinsky indicated that Russia would remain engaged in the diplomatic process. Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia also described the discussions as productive, expressing optimism that continued engagement could produce further progress before the end of the year.
The Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske reported that American officials are working to bring European representatives into future sessions while completing arrangements for the proposed prisoner exchange.
The negotiations have unfolded against a backdrop of continuing military operations. Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches, while Ukrainian forces have continued strikes targeting Russian oil facilities and other military-related infrastructure.
The continued fighting underscores the absence of an agreed ceasefire. Although negotiators have discussed de-escalation measures, neither government has committed to a comprehensive halt in military operations, and the humanitarian agreement does not itself establish broader restrictions on combat.
The renewed diplomatic effort follows preparations involving American, Russian and Ukrainian representatives over several weeks. According to Axios’ reporting ahead of the Abu Dhabi summit, Witkoff and Kushner held frequent telephone discussions with officials from both countries in an effort to identify potential areas of agreement before the delegations met in person.
Washington has emphasized that an agreement addressing territory would depend heavily on credible security guarantees. American officials have also considered arrangements involving European security commitments and mechanisms intended to prevent renewed hostilities after a ceasefire.
The administration’s efforts reflect Trump’s continuing objective of securing a negotiated end to the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war has caused extensive casualties, displaced millions of civilians and severely damaged infrastructure throughout Ukraine.
Thursday’s meetings will provide an indication of whether the progress reported in Abu Dhabi can translate into concrete agreements. The immediate focus is expected to remain on finalizing prisoner exchanges, examining possible ceasefire arrangements and determining whether the parties can narrow their differences over security guarantees.
While American, Russian and Ukrainian representatives have expressed cautious optimism, the absence of an agreement on territorial disputes and Europe’s future role demonstrates the challenges still confronting negotiators.
For now, the planned meetings with Putin and Zelenskyy represent the next stage of Washington’s diplomatic initiative, with the proposed prisoner exchange offering a potential first result as broader negotiations over ending the war continue.
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