AI Brief
- Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of US-brokered talks to include European nations, according to US envoy Jared Kushner.
- Washington is working towards the war's largest prisoner exchange, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families, though details remain undisclosed.
- Despite progress in talks, significant differences persist, particularly on territorial issues, with both sides maintaining firm positions.
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said on Thursday Russia and Ukraine agreed to expand the next round of talks to include European nations as Washington works toward the war's "largest prisoner exchange."
The remarks came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed news of European presence at the next round of the US-brokered peace talks, saying he hoped the agenda would include efforts towards ceasefires and defusing the conflict.
"We are also working toward what would be the largest prisoner exchange of the war, potentially reuniting thousands of people with their families," Kushner wrote on X, without giving details of the deal.
Expansion of the next round of talks with European partners would allow the tackling of "broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia," Kushner said.
Washington was encouraged by the progress made, he said, but added that significant differences remained.
Zelenskiy, speaking after talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Kushner, said it was important the process had resumed, following this week's round of talks in Abu Dhabi that was the first in nine months.
Earlier Witkoff said Vladimir Putin agreed to let European representatives join the next round of talks, though the Russian president also urged Washington to work with European allies to understand if they wanted peace or war in Ukraine.
Kushner and Witkoff traveled to Moscow to meet Putin and to Dublin to meet Zelenskiy.
In his statement, Kushner said a lasting end to the fighting required credible security guarantees and "reciprocal" de-escalation commitments to reduce risk of future conflict.
Kyiv and Moscow said major differences remained despite some progress, particularly on territorial issues. Russia holds a fifth of Ukraine and Kyiv refuses to give up the rest of its eastern region of Donbas.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Trump, who vowed to end the war when he returned to the White House, is yet to reach a deal on that front.
