Witkoff and Kushner Meet Putin at Kremlin After Abu Dhabi Talks

MOSCOW, Nov 12 – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s envoys, arrived at the Kremlin on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They want to build on two days of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that ended in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy, met the two men off their plane in wet snow. He then went with them into central Moscow.

It is the 10th time that Witkoff has met Putin in person. Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law.

The Abu Dhabi talks were the first direct meeting between Russian and Ukrainian officials in nine months; they concluded with an agreement in principle on a large exchange of prisoners of war, although the exact number remained to be agreed.

But there was no clear breakthrough on ending the war. Both sides said some progress had been made, while the American side said the two remained far apart on major issues, including territory.

The envoys then traveled directly to Moscow to keep the talks moving.

One of their main aims is to secure greater European involvement. Kushner said he wants Putin’s approval for European officials to join the negotiations, which also address security across the continent. Washington and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy want Europe to appoint a single representative to negotiate with Moscow.

Russia has so far refused. It says Europe is part of the problem because it provides money and weapons to Ukraine.

Many in Europe, in turn, do not want Russia to have a say in Europe’s security. They see that as a gift to Putin. He has called the eastward growth of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization a top threat to Russia, and has demanded that the alliance pull its troops back from Russia’s borders.

On Wednesday, a senior Russian diplomat said Moscow could sign non-aggression pacts with members of the alliance as part of a new security setup for Europe. But many European leaders say there should be no talks on Europe’s wider security until there is real progress on Ukraine, including a ceasefire.

Some analysts say negotiators may be ready to give Russia ground on the alliance’s plans in return for peace in Ukraine. That idea has alarmed European governments.

The biggest problem is still land. Putin wants Ukraine to give up all of the eastern Donbas region. Kyiv has flatly refused. With the talks stuck, the American side has tried to shift the focus to security guarantees and rebuilding after the war.

Zelenskiy sees an opportunity. Speaking in Dublin late on Wednesday, he said political changes could open “a window of opportunity” for a deal. He pointed to Democrats taking control of Congress in January and to elections in France next year.

He said everyone involved in the talks wants an agreement before 2027: “Genuinely want to achieve a result before 2027,” Zelenskiy said of the parties.

He welcomed the planned prisoner swap. But he said Ukraine will not give it territory held by Russia in return for peace.

After the Kremlin, Witkoff and Kushner plan to fly to Dublin to meet Zelenskiy later on Thursday. He is in Dublin for a meeting of more than 40 European countries, also attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Fighting continues along a front line about 1,200 kilometers long. Overnight, Russia said it struck a drone plant in Kyiv and other sites in the region. Kyiv’s mayor said a Russian drone hit an apartment block, killing a woman. Russia said it shot down 71 Ukrainian drones.

Also on Thursday, Russia’s Investigative Committee said a Russian officer was killed when his car exploded in St. Petersburg. It did not name him or say who was responsible. The Fontanka news site said he was a colonel.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for several killings of senior officers in the past, while Kyiv has claimed responsibility for some attacks on Russian soil.