U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right conditions, as Russian and Ukrainian delegations began a new round of U.S.-mediated negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 10 November.
Speaking at the opening session, Kushner said U.S. negotiators had held extensive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the past two months. He said the talks had narrowed key differences and helped identify possible compromises, although no agreement had been announced.
The two-day negotiations, the first U.S.-brokered round since February, bring together Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and the two American envoys.
Territorial disputes, security guarantees and the future of European security remain central obstacles to ending the war.
Kushner told negotiators that European officials had repeatedly questioned whether Putin was genuinely prepared to end the conflict.
“From what Steve and I have heard from him, we can say very strongly we believe so, under the right conditions,” Kushner said, referring to his discussions with Witkoff and the Russian president.
He acknowledged that Moscow had raised similar questions about the willingness of Ukraine and its European partners to reach a settlement.
The assessment represents Washington's view of Putin's intentions, rather than a new commitment announced by the Russian president.
Kushner said American officials had maintained almost daily contact with both sides over the past two months.
“We've really identified, narrowed the gaps as to what we need to get through, and I think we have some good ideas on how to bridge it,” he said.
He added that several proposals under discussion had been developed through consultations involving Washington, Kyiv and European partners.
U.S. Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, also highlighted progress made through earlier military-level negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the U.S.
“We've made some great progress in the past in a military-to-military dialogue in a trilateral format,” Grynkewich said, expressing hope that the latest discussions would help lay the foundations for lasting peace.
Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said Kyiv had received a mandate from Zelenskyy to address the issues necessary to end the war.
“We have a mandate from President Zelenskyy to discuss all the issues our people are waiting to end this war,” Umerov told the opening session.
He emphasised the need for a settlement that would prevent renewed fighting.
“For Ukraine, it is security guarantees,” he said.
Before the trilateral negotiations began, Umerov said Ukrainian officials had met separately with European, NATO and EU representatives, as well as Kushner and Witkoff.
“We are doing everything to ensure that Europe is a participant in the diplomatic process,” he said.
European participation has become a significant point of contention as negotiators consider the wider security consequences of any agreement.
France said a lasting peace in Ukraine would require addressing European security and involving European governments in the diplomatic process.
Russia, however, has opposed direct European participation in the talks with Ukraine and the U.S.
Kushner said American negotiators had been working closely with European partners, including during the two months leading up to the Abu Dhabi meeting.
He argued that the negotiations should go beyond ending the fighting to establish a broader security relationship between Russia, Ukraine and Europe.
According to Kushner, the aim is to build on existing European security institutions and agreements while examining arrangements that failed to prevent the conflict.
A source in the Russian delegation told Reuters that Moscow expected the talks to focus heavily on the elements of a new post-war European security framework.
Witkoff also addressed the issue on Tuesday, referring to discussions about building on existing European security institutions and agreements following the war.
The competing positions leave open a central question: whether a settlement can satisfy Ukraine's security requirements, Russia's demands and the concerns of European governments.
Russian and Ukrainian officials are meeting in the United Arab Emirates for two days of negotiations mediated by the U.S., following months of intermittent diplomatic efforts.
The talks are the first U.S.-brokered meeting between the two sides since February.
Trump raised expectations ahead of the negotiations, saying Washington was seeing a “very strong inclination” towards ending the conflict and suggesting that both sides were tired of fighting.
He made the remarks after meeting privately with an envoy of Putin at the White House last week.
However, previous predictions by Trump that an agreement was close have not resulted in a settlement.
The latest round follows renewed diplomatic activity after Washington's attention had been focused for months on the war in Iran.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived with sharply different positions on the territorial and security arrangements that would underpin any peace agreement.
Russian delegation chief Vladimir Medinsky expressed hope that the expanded negotiations would help advance peace in the interests of the Russian and Ukrainian peoples.
His remarks at the opening session indicated Moscow's willingness to continue discussions, although the Russian delegation did not announce any change to its territorial demands.
The United Arab Emirates welcomed the delegations and reaffirmed its support for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
An Emirati representative thanked the participating governments for their confidence in the UAE as host and praised Washington's mediation efforts.
The UAE has previously hosted talks involving the parties, including the February round referenced by Kushner.
Negotiations are scheduled to continue on Wednesday, 11 November, with discussions expected to focus on territorial disputes, security guarantees and the framework for post-war European security.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Washington believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to reach a peace agreement under the right condition...
Azerbaijan is seeking international investment to develop more than four gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power in the Caspian Sea, as part of plans...
Turkmenistan has secured its first entry in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, following the approval o...
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
Russia and Ukraine are set to return to Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a fourth round of U.S.-brokered peace talks, with European participation, security guarantees and territorial disputes expected to shape the negotiations.
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operation, following allegations that a businesswoman with whom he had a relationship passed information to Beijing.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) dismissed a new U.S. military operation targeting the movement of weapons and sanctioned materials on Sunday, 8 November, saying Washington would fail to isolate the Iranian economy despite expanding restrictions on maritime and land routes.
The U.S. military has moved aircraft away from a second airbase in the United Kingdom following a reported threat linked to Iran, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Prosecutors in Paraguay have raided the brokerage arm of the collapsed digital bank Ueno and recovered torn-up documents. Images released by prosecutors showed shredded papers, including what appeared to be fragments of due diligence reports and emails.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for the 10th of November, bringing you five developments that highlight the growing pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump, from tensions in the Middle East and controversy in Silicon Valley to political setbacks at home and difficult diplomacy over Ukraine.
Three contract workers have died after inhaling gas during maintenance work at a Tata Electronics factory in Tamil Nadu, southern India. The facility manufactures components for Apple's iPhones.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval rating has stayed near the lowest level of his political career, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday, as concerns over rising prices continue to weigh on his Republican Party after last week’s midterm elections.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment