Trump’s envoys hope to get Europe involved in Russia-Ukraine peace talks : NPR

President Trump’s envoys met with Russia’s president and say further talks are likely, perhaps with European participation

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

White House envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been racking up the miles this week.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

All in a pursuit of an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. First, they led peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Then they were on to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, followed by a trip to Ireland, where they met up with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

MARTÍNEZ: To discuss what progress was or maybe wasn’t made toward peace, we’re joined now by NPR’s Charles Maynes in Moscow. Charles, so let’s start with their visit with Putin. What struck you from that meeting?

CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Yeah. Sure, A. You know, both sides noted positive momentum on the humanitarian track of negotiations, including a mass prisoner swap that’s in the offing. But the real focus this week has been on this idea of building a new security framework between Russia and Europe. Kushner, in particular, sees this as the way to unlock concessions towards ending the actual war. But it’s meant also trying to get Europe to the negotiating table, which Russia’s refused to do, citing Europe’s military support to Ukraine. So fundamentally, in coming to Moscow, Kushner was there to make a pitch.

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JARED KUSHNER: We’ve seen a big change with the Europeans, and we think there’s a very strong momentum and desire to engage together.

MARTÍNEZ: All right. So how did Putin respond?

MAYNES: Well, in his public comments, Putin wasn’t particularly receptive. He accused Europe of prolonging the war through its military support for Kyiv. He categorically ruled out this idea of European peacekeepers on the ground to help guarantee a future security in Ukraine, saying Russia would regard these soldiers as legitimate military targets. Here’s Putin speaking through a Kremlin interpreter.

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PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN: (Through interpreter) But after that peace deal is done in Ukraine, they are going to deploy their troops, which would mean a continuation of the war. So this is a vicious circle.

MAYNES: Now, A, Witkoff later said Putin had agreed to include Europeans in the future talks. This is what the U.S. was after, although a Kremlin aide who briefed reporters afterwards made no mention of that. But I’ll say this. You know, Putin has always framed the war in Ukraine around grievances over Russia’s treatment after the end of the Cold War and NATO’s expansion East. So European security is clearly an issue Russia wants on the table, at least in some form.

MARTÍNEZ: OK. The next stop then was Ireland, where they met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

MAYNES: Yeah. Talk about a change of venues. Witkoff and Kushner went from the Kremlin Grand Hall to meeting Zelenskyy in a small lounge at a military airbase in Dublin. Now, Zelenskyy welcomed the news that the Europeans will apparently be part of future negotiations. That’s something Europe also has pushed for, really out of fear that Russia and U.S. could cut some deal without Europe’s involvement. Zelenskyy also said he hoped the new European presence would somehow help achieve a ceasefire.

MARTÍNEZ: OK. So with Europe now in the negotiating room, I mean, is that progress, technically?

MAYNES: Well, you know, Kushner certainly seems to think so because the U.S.’s attempts to negotiate ceasefires with Russia or push for territorial concessions from Ukraine really haven’t worked. You know? But this focus on European security has also exposed a split between the Trump administration and its European allies – one where the White House now takes these Russian complaints about the threat posed by NATO seriously, or at least thinks they can’t be ignored if this war’s to somehow be negotiated to an end, while the Europeans say, hold on. You know, why should Putin be rewarded with a say in our security, particularly given all the damage he’s done in Ukraine?

MARTÍNEZ: That’s NPR’s Charles Maynes in Moscow. Thanks a lot, Charles.

MAYNES: Thanks, A.

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