European countries to join upcoming talks between Russia and Ukraine

Agreement has been reached to include European countries in the upcoming round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, US President Donald Trump's special envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner stated on Thursday. According to a France 24 report, Kushner said that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to involve European nations in these discussions. Simultaneously, Washington is also making efforts for the largest exchange of prisoners during the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that European countries will participate in future negotiations so that they can be directly involved rather than remaining merely as biased observers, as was the case in Abu Dhabi. He emphasised that "their voice will be heard." Kushner stated on the social media platform X, "We cannot make this deal without including the Europeans at the table." He further added that Putin is also ready to make this effort.

An European Union official told AFP that representatives from five European capitals and the European Commission had also met with US envoys. It is likely that a new multilateral meeting will be scheduled soon. However, the Kremlin has not confirmed that Putin has agreed to include Europe in future negotiations, which Kyiv and its partners have been demanding for a long time.

US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Dublin following their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Kushner stated that they are working towards the largest prisoner exchange of the war, which could potentially reunite thousands of people with their families.

During the meeting with US envoys, Vladimir Putin indicated that he would not compromise on his strict demands to end the war in Ukraine, but offered a short-term ceasefire for a city located on the main front of the fighting.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine. He has led Ukraine's defence against Russia and has been serving as the country's leader during the war.