Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to allow European representatives to participate in the next round of peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, marking a potential shift in the diplomatic process, US presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday.
Witkoff announced the development following a four-and-a-half-hour meeting with Putin in Moscow, which he attended alongside fellow US envoy Jared Kushner. The meeting focused on efforts to advance negotiations and explore possible pathways toward ending the conflict, which has continued despite repeated diplomatic initiatives.
“The Europeans will join at the next meeting, which we think is a very big deal, because it’s important, they are our partners and it’s important for them to be involved,” Witkoff said while speaking to reporters after the meeting.
The reported agreement could represent an important development for European governments, which have repeatedly insisted that they should have a direct role in negotiations concerning the security of their continent and the future of Ukraine.
The European Union has long pushed for a place at the negotiating table, arguing that any agreement to end the war would have significant implications for European security, regional stability and the continent’s long-term relationship with Russia.
The announcement came as the two American envoys prepared to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin later Thursday. Zelenskyy was attending a meeting of the European Political Community, where the war in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end it were among the central issues.
Witkoff said the American delegation would brief the Ukrainian president on the outcome of its discussions with Putin.
In Dublin, the envoys would “download Zelenskyy on everything that has occurred,” he said, indicating that Washington intended to communicate the details of its latest engagement with the Russian leadership directly to Kyiv.
The discussions are taking place amid renewed diplomatic efforts following the latest round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi earlier this week. However, European governments remain cautious about the possibility of a significant breakthrough, with officials expressing doubts about whether Moscow is prepared to soften its longstanding demands.
A diplomat familiar with the discussions said Russia’s negotiating position appeared largely unchanged despite the latest diplomatic contacts.
“The Russian demands are the same maximalist demands that we have heard for years,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential.
The assessment reflects continuing European concerns that Moscow’s conditions for ending the conflict could be difficult for Ukraine to accept. European officials have also been concerned about the possibility of negotiations progressing without sufficient consultation with Kyiv and its European partners.
Following the Abu Dhabi discussions, two senior European Union officials returned from the negotiations and briefed EU ambassadors on the developments.
They included Björn Seibert, chief of staff to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Anna-Maria Boura, chief foreign policy adviser to European Council President António Costa.
Their briefing provided EU ambassadors with an opportunity to assess the latest diplomatic developments and consider their implications for Europe’s approach to the negotiations.
European leaders are expected to discuss the Ukraine peace process on Friday, as the EU seeks greater clarity about the direction of US-led diplomatic efforts and the extent to which European governments will be involved in subsequent negotiations.
Putin’s reported agreement to European participation could help address one of the major concerns surrounding the diplomatic process: Europe’s limited role in discussions over a conflict that directly affects its security.
However, the announcement does not necessarily indicate that Russia has made concessions on the substantive issues dividing Moscow and Kyiv. The extent of European participation, the format of the next meeting and the positions of the negotiating parties remain unclear.
For Washington, the immediate challenge will be to maintain diplomatic momentum while ensuring that both Ukraine and European governments remain engaged.
The planned meeting between Witkoff, Kushner and Zelenskyy in Dublin is therefore expected to be an important step in communicating the results of the Moscow discussions and determining how the negotiations might proceed.
