In Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner Ask Putin to Include Europe in Peace Talks

What the report says

President Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, traveled to Moscow on Thursday to meet President Vladimir V. Putin and press for Europe’s inclusion in broader negotiations over the war in Ukraine. According to The New York Times, the Kremlin is also seeking to widen the talks beyond a simple cease-fire, tying any deal to larger questions about European security arrangements.

The visit came one day after the Americans helped mediate direct Russian-Ukrainian discussions in Abu Dhabi, the first such exchange in nine months. After the Kremlin meeting, the envoys were scheduled to continue on to Dublin for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. The Trump administration is pushing for a diplomatic breakthrough even as Russia continues attacks on Ukrainian cities and shows no sign of easing its demands.

Putin signaled that Moscow would not accept an easy compromise, and he again criticized Europe’s role in backing Ukraine. The American delegation, by contrast, said there was momentum toward a future trilateral meeting that would include Europeans. European officials have said they want a seat at the table if the talks begin to address continent-wide security issues, though they have also generally held that Russia should stop fighting first.

The reporting suggests that the next phase of diplomacy could hinge on whether Europe is brought directly into the process and whether Moscow is willing to discuss cease-fire terms alongside territorial and security questions.