US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff confirmed on November 13, 2026 that European nations will join the next round of Ukraine-Russia peace talks after meeting Putin in Moscow and Zelenskyy in Dublin on November 12. The US is also working toward the largest prisoner exchange of the war. The Abu Dhabi talks in November 2026 were the first US-mediated direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations in nine months.
European inclusion in peace talks
- ▪Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov did not confirm that Europeans would join the next round of Ukraine peace talks and said Europe's current stance on Ukraine amounted to 'a recipe for endless war.'
- ▪Jared Kushner told Putin that Washington had detected a 'big change' on the European side and was confident that expanding peace talks to include Europeans would not hinder progress
- ▪Vladimir Putin agreed to allow European representatives to join the next round of Ukraine peace talks
- ▪US envoy Steve Witkoff announced European participation in the next round of Ukraine peace talks after meeting Putin in the Kremlin
Putin's conditions for negotiations
- ▪Putin called on the US administration to work with European allies to determine whether they want peace or war in Ukraine
- ▪Putin said on November 13, 2026 that what Russia considers its state border should be the only meaningful demarcation point with Ukraine
- ▪Putin warned that the European idea of sending Western troops into Ukraine after a peace deal would trigger a resumption of the war because Russia would view it as a threat to its security
Zelenskiy's response in Dublin
- ▪Zelenskiy said he found the US approach of discussing a new European security order with Russia 'a bit strange.'
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner
Starshield satellite restrictions
- ▪Zelenskiy said systemic restrictions were limiting the speed at which Starshield could be used by Ukraine
- ▪Starshield is the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite communications service
- ▪Zelenskiy said on November 12, 2026 that disruptions to the Starshield satellite communications service were significant, affecting the entire front line and Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine
Humanitarian mission proposal
- ▪Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the US envoys welcomed Putin's humanitarian mission proposal for Kostiantynivka and would be in touch with Russia about it
- ▪Putin proposed a joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian mission to Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine on November 13, 2026
- ▪Putin said approximately 400 to 500 residents remained in Kostiantynivka
Territorial dispute deadlock
- ▪Russia holds approximately one-fifth of Ukraine's territory as of November 2026
- ▪The trilateral US-Russia-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi in November 2026 were the first US-mediated direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in nine months
- ▪Putin's territorial demands include a buffer zone in parts of Ukraine that Russia has not formally claimed as its own
- ▪Ukraine refuses to cede the remainder of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine to Russia
Perspective of Kremlin
- ▪Putin warned that deploying Western troops in Ukraine after a peace deal would trigger resumption of war as a threat to Russian security
- ▪Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Europe's current stance on Ukraine amounts to a recipe for endless war
Story comments
Loading comments…