Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has welcomed a pledge from US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to include European Union delegates in the next round of peace talks with Russia. The envoys made the commitment when they met Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday evening.
European leaders have expressed deepening security concerns this week. Zelensky said bringing the EU into the talks would ensure it has a “voice” in negotiations.
US envoys’ shuttle diplomacy across Moscow and Dublin
The Dublin meeting was part of a busy day of shuttle diplomacy for Kushner and Witkoff. Earlier, they met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, who said Russia’s position on the war, including its demand for territory, had not changed.
The meetings followed talks in Abu Dhabi last week, which failed to produce a breakthrough in ending the war. Thursday did bring one development: Russia and Ukraine agreed to another prisoner exchange, the largest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Kushner said the swap would return “thousands of people to their families”. However, details such as how many prisoners would be exchanged and on what timeline were not given.
European seat at the table and doubts over Moscow
Zelensky has spent several years calling for European delegates to take part in the peace talks, saying it makes sense given Kyiv’s longer-term ambition to join the EU. On Thursday, Kushner said the US had been “working very, very closely over the past several months with Europeans”.
He added that he had stressed to Putin how important it is to have European delegates “at the table”. “He’s willing to give it a try,” Kushner said.
Ukraine and Europe have long been concerned about the current US government’s commitment to European security and its softening towards the Kremlin. Moscow has been dismissive of European involvement, although Europeans have argued they are central to any post-war dynamics on their continent. Approximately one-fifth of Ukraine remains under the control of Russian forces, and cross-border incursions are increasingly common.
Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s vice president and the EU’s top diplomat, said earlier on Thursday that the presence of a European delegate showed the Kremlin “now realised that Europe is a big player”. She also expressed doubts that Russia had momentum towards a peace deal.
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin told European leaders gathered in Dublin that he believed the security of the region had been “fundamentally reshaped” by Russia’s war. He told reporters that many EU member states feel an existential threat because of what has happened in Ukraine, and the potential for further aggression on the continent if Ukraine were to fall.
Starlink restrictions complicate Ukraine’s drone defence
Tensions between Washington and Kyiv were also on display on Thursday, before the meeting with Kushner and Witkoff. Zelensky said the military faced more “systematic” restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade satellite service linked to Starlink. As a result, Kyiv was struggling to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.
The technology, owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, has played a vital role in government and military connectivity in Ukraine. It also increasingly helps with communication on Ukraine’s front line.
