Russia agrees to European seat at Ukraine peace talks, but Kremlin hedges on terms

Jared Kushner announced Thursday that Russia has agreed to allow European representatives into the next round of direct peace negotiations over Ukraine — a concession Moscow had long resisted — but the Kremlin was already hedging, saying it would first need to assess whether Europe was genuinely committed to peace before agreeing to an 'expanded format.'

The announcement came after US envoys Kushner and Steve Witkoff flew from Abu Dhabi, where they had mediated two days of trilateral talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations — the first such direct discussions in nine months — to Moscow, where they met President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. They then traveled to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Both sides have now agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include our European partners. This will allow us to address the broader postwar European security agreements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia.— Jared Kushner, US envoy

But the Kremlin's response was notably cooler. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists Friday that Putin had 'never refused to engage with the Europeans,' while stopping well short of endorsing a European delegation outright.

Once we understand their actual intentions and their willingness to contribute to the peace process, we can then make a decision regarding a dialogue in an expanded format.— Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson

That gap — between Kushner's 'both sides agreed' and Peskov's 'we'll decide later' — captures where the peace process stands: moving, but not yet in the same direction.

European Council President António Costa moved quickly to define who would represent the continent, announcing that the European team would consist of EU institutions plus the five nations of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom — the core of the 'coalition of the willing' that has backed Ukraine throughout the war, according to PBS and CNN.

Our European team will continue to act in full unity and in close coordination with all member states.— António Costa, European Council President

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz used the Dublin summit to send a pointed message to Washington about the terms of European involvement.

Please, no surprises. Keep playing as part of Team Europe and as part of the team with Ukraine, and let us work together for a genuine peace in Ukraine.— Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor

The Abu Dhabi talks were the first US-mediated trilateral discussions between Russia and Ukraine in nine months. Kushner described them as 'substantive,' 'pretty tough,' but 'a good first step.' Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said discussions covered steps toward a broader peace agreement and post-war reconstruction. Ukrainian negotiators, however, blamed 'very strict directives' from the Kremlin for limiting their room to maneuver, according to Politico.

The one concrete result from Abu Dhabi was an agreement in principle on a large prisoner-of-war exchange. Kushner called it likely 'the biggest' swap since the start of the war. Zelensky, speaking alongside the US envoys Thursday night, called it 'a real result.' Russian state news agency Tass confirmed a 'large-scale' exchange had been agreed, according to Politico.

On the central questions — territory, ceasefire, and security guarantees — the gaps remain wide. Putin told the American envoys at the Kremlin that he was 'not ready for an easy compromise' and signaled that any talks with European representatives would be tough, according to the Boston Globe. Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia's Abu Dhabi delegation, was more blunt: Moscow would only be satisfied once it had secured victory and an agreement on its own terms. He also dismissed immediate European participation, saying Europeans could join peace talks once they 'develop a conscience,' according to Euronews.

Russia's insistence on widening negotiations to include a wholesale review of European security architecture — effectively demanding limits on NATO's reach — is the structural complication underneath the European-seat question. Kushner acknowledged the US has agreed to explore this broader framework, but said 'the implementation of postwar security will not occur until there's an agreement on territory and on all other bilateral issues,' according to Politico.

European officials say the sequencing is critical: they are willing to explore overhauling the continent's security system in parallel with the Ukraine peace process, but do not want to commit to broader reforms until peace is achieved, according to Politico.

Kushner also flagged a practical challenge on the European side: 'If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiation,' he told Politico. Zelensky has said he wants to be consulted on who represents Europe and has urged allies to move quickly.

Witkoff, for whom this was his tenth visit to Russia since Trump returned to the White House, told CNN at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport before departing: 'I think progress was made. People didn't think that we were going to restart trilateral. We've restarted it. We've set a new meeting. This is what President Trump wants to see.'

Zelensky, speaking in Dublin, said the discussions gave Ukraine 'hope that we will end this war,' while adding he remained skeptical. He had earlier told reporters he wanted the Americans to 'return to Dublin with specifics.'

The diplomacy has not slowed the fighting. At least 10 people were killed and 48 injured in Ukraine on Thursday into Friday, according to regional officials cited by CNN. Russian air defenses intercepted nearly 1,198 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to Russia's defense ministry, with at least eight people killed in those strikes. Zelensky also reported that Ukrainian front-line troops were again facing speed restrictions on Starshield — the military-grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink service — and said he had asked officials to contact the US State Department, the Pentagon and SpaceX for clarification. SpaceX previously told CNN there had been no change in its service.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin and Trump will 'continue discussions' about Ukraine during a planned bilateral meeting at the APEC summit in China, according to CNN.

Why it matters — Whether Europe gets a genuine seat at the table — and on whose terms — will shape not just the Ukraine ceasefire but the future security order of the entire continent.

Sources differ on Whether Russia has genuinely agreed to European participation in talks: Both sides agreed to expand the next round to include European partners (cnn.com (Kushner's X post)) vs Russia will first assess Europe's intentions before deciding on an expanded format; Putin 'has never refused' but has not endorsed it (cnn.com (Kremlin spokesperson Peskov))

Reported by thehill.com, pbs.org, bssnews.net, cnn.com, firstpost.com, bostonglobe.com, telegraph.co.uk, politico.eu, euronews.com