President Trump’s envoys went to Moscow on Thursday to seek agreement from President Vladimir V. Putin to bring Europe into talks on the war in Ukraine, as the Kremlin pushes to widen the negotiations to overhaul European security arrangements.
The envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Russia one day after mediating peace talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, who spoke directly for the first time in nine months. After meeting with Mr. Putin in the Kremlin, they traveled to Dublin to meet with and debrief President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner are pressing to involve Europe in the talks as Russia makes clear that it will not consider a cease-fire until its broader demands to redraw Europe’s security architecture are addressed.
“We cannot conclude this deal without Europeans being at the table,” Mr. Kushner told reporters on Thursday night, speaking at the air base where he and Mr. Witkoff had just met with Mr. Zelensky, as planes for both delegations waited nearby.
Mr. Zelensky, standing next to him, said that Europe will join the next round of talks.
“It’s important for us, because the war is in Europe,” he said.
The Trump administration, seeking a foreign policy win after Republicans’ drubbing in the midterm elections, is making another push for peace even as Russia gives no indication that it will stop the war anytime soon, and in fact appears to be hardening some positions.
Source: www.nytimes.com
