Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow, following two days of negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi.
The meeting is expected to address issues regarding a lasting settlement of the Ukraine conflict, presidential aide Yury Ushakov said ahead of the discussions.
The US envoys arrived in Moscow on Thursday morning and were met at Vnukovo Airport by Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev. Asked about their mood, Dmitriev described it as positive.
The visit follows the first formal trilateral negotiations since February. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said European security was the central theme of the Abu Dhabi talks, and that the parties found common ground on some issues while differences remain on others.
Medinsky also announced an agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner exchange. Kushner and Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement. The US envoy said the numbers will be finalized on Thursday.
Territory remains a major obstacle. Medinsky told RT that “every inch of our land will be returned to Russia, one way or another.” Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, however, has rejected the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian forces from Donbass. Kushner described the territorial question as the hardest issue to resolve.
European representatives remained outside the trilateral meetings, consulting separately with the US and Ukrainian teams. Kushner has argued that the Europeans must be involved in the process, while suggesting that they should select a single representative.
Ushakov said on Thursday that Europe has yet to agree on a suitable negotiator. Moscow has stated that it is willing to consider concrete European peace proposals but has received none.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Putin would explain Russia’s position to the US envoys, after which Washington’s task will be to bring its European partners to their senses. He accused European governments of showing no willingness to exercise common sense while recklessly supporting Kiev.
Kushner previously said he and Witkoff would travel to Dublin after their trip to Moscow to brief Zelensky.
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