US, Ukraine say Europe to join Russia talks as Putin sticks to hardline stance

DUBLIN: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US envoy Jared Kushner announced on Thursday that Europe would participate in the upcoming Russia talks, as Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his commitment to hardline demands for a resolution to the conflict that has raged for over five years. Following a series of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, Kushner and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff spent more than four hours in talks with Putin in Moscow, before traveling to Dublin to update Zelenskyy on the progress.

The main development, according to the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump's representative, was the inclusion of European negotiators in future discussions. Zelenskyy emphasized that Europeans would have a voice in the talks, stating: "They will have a voice." Kushner added that Putin was willing to give it a try. An EU official confirmed that five European capitals and the European Commission had met with the US envoys, and that a new multilateral meeting would be set soon.

However, the Kremlin did not confirm Putin's agreement to include Europe in future talks, instead insisting that Russia would not compromise on its demands to maintain control over the regions it has annexed and ruled out foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. As the United States advocates for European participation, Moscow seeks to portray the talks as part of a broader discussion about European security.

Zelenskyy expressed concern that recent restrictions on the Starshield satellite internet service were hampering Ukraine's ability to track Russian drone attacks, resulting in increased casualties. The Kremlin broadcast a lengthy opening exchange between Putin and the US envoys, during which the Russian leader rejected the notion of a possible territorial settlement involving demilitarized zones between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Russia has controlled parts of eastern and southern Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, including annexing Crimea in 2014 and territories controlled by Russian-backed separatists.