The United States has pledged to include European Union representatives in the next round of peace talks with Russia, following a meeting between US envoys and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin.
According to the BBC, US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, met Zelensky on Thursday after holding discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier that day. Putin maintained that Russia’s position on the war, including its territorial demands, had not changed.
The diplomatic engagements are part of Washington’s efforts to broker an end to the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The latest discussions followed talks in Abu Dhabi the previous week that ended without a breakthrough, although Moscow and Kyiv agreed to another prisoner exchange, described by Kushner as the largest since the invasion began.
From Ramaphosa’s mediation bid to Europe’s push
Ramaphosa’s involvement in efforts to resolve the conflict began in March 2022, weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Following a telephone conversation with Putin, he said South Africa had been approached to play a mediation role, citing its relations with Russia and membership of BRICS.
He also said he had conveyed Pretoria’s position that the conflict should be resolved through mediation and negotiations between the parties.
That initial diplomatic engagement was followed by the African Peace Initiative in June 2023, when Ramaphosa led a delegation comprising the presidents of South Africa, Senegal, Zambia and Comoros, Egypt’s prime minister, and envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda.
The delegation met Zelensky in Kyiv and Putin in St Petersburg, presenting a 10-point proposal that called for de-escalation, urgent negotiations, prisoner releases, the return of children, humanitarian assistance and post-war reconstruction.
The initiative did not produce a ceasefire or a negotiated settlement.
Europe’s current push reflects a similar desire to influence the outcome of the conflict, but with a focus on securing direct representation in the US-led process. European leaders argue that any agreement will have implications for their own security, while Ukraine wants the EU involved partly because of its ambition to join the bloc.
The US pledge could give Europe a voice in the next round of negotiations, although major differences remain over Russia’s territorial demands and the security guarantees Ukraine would require for a lasting peace.
Source: africa.businessinsider.com
