Ukraine peace talks expanded to include European countries, Digi Mart USA News (Moscow and Ireland): Ukraine and Russia have agreed to expand the next round of peace negotiations to include European countries, Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said late on Thursday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kushner said the move would allow talks to address broader postwar European security arrangements alongside territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia. He added that Washington is also working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families.
After the Moscow meeting, Kushner and Witkoff flew to Ireland to attend a European summit and meet Zelenskyy, who said he was pleased at the prospect of European participation. Zelenskyy said he hoped the agenda would include steps toward a ceasefire and de-escalation of the conflict.
Putin warned Europe not to send peacekeeping troops into Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, calling it a “continuation of war.” He also refused to soften his territorial demands and said Washington must work with its European allies to determine whether they want peace or war in Ukraine.
Putin’s comments underlined how difficult the negotiations could become, given sharp differences between Moscow and European capitals over how the war should end. Witkoff told Russian state TV that the Europeans would join at the next meeting, which he described as a very important moment.
Kushner told Putin that Washington had detected “a big change” on the European side and was confident that expanding talks would not hinder progress. Putin said Moscow had never broken off dialogue with Europe, adding that it was the Europeans who broke it off with Russia.
Zelenskyy said new restrictions were affecting the US-made Starshield satellite communications service Kyiv uses on the battlefield, disruptions that he said had affected the entire frontline and Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine. He said he found the US approach of discussing a new European security order with Russia “a bit strange.” SpaceX declined to comment.
The fighting continued during the talks. A Russian drone strike killed two people in Ukraine’s Sumy region, according to Governor Oleh Hryhorov, and five people were injured in Rivne after a drone hit an apartment building.
In Russia’s Belgorod region, one man was killed and four injured in a drone attack, local officials said. Ukrainian agricultural company Kernel Holding said it had suspended operations at all its oilseed extraction plants following a series of Russian attacks on its facilities.
