American Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow, Then Brief Ukraine's President in Dublin

Two American envoys met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday as the push to end the war in Ukraine entered a new round. Steve Witkoff, President Trump's special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, arrived in Moscow in the morning and sat down with Putin a few hours later, Al Jazeera reported.

The Moscow meeting followed two days of talks in Abu Dhabi among the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. Those Abu Dhabi sessions marked the return of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine after a nine-month pause. They ended with plans for another prisoner exchange between the two countries, but no larger breakthrough, according to Al Jazeera. The Kremlin described Thursday's discussions as useful.

Hard differences remain. Putin repeated his position that NATO could not expand further, and he rejected the idea of European troops being stationed in Ukraine as part of any peace deal. The two sides also discussed a Russian proposal for a joint humanitarian mission to a city in eastern Ukraine. Al Jazeera's correspondent reporting from Kyiv offered a sober view, saying that for all the activity, not much has changed in where the two sides stand.

Later the same day, Witkoff and Kushner flew to Dublin and briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a military airfield outside the city, the Kyiv Independent reported. Zelenskyy said the talks included preparations for what could be the largest prisoner exchange since the war began, and he said European representatives will take part directly in the next round of negotiations. Putin is expected to continue discussions with President Trump at the APEC summit in China later this month, a Kremlin aide said.

For American readers, these talks matter well beyond the battlefield. The war has shaped energy and food prices around the world since it began in 2022, and its outcome will influence relations among the United States, Europe, and Russia for years to come. Any lasting agreement would also affect decisions in Washington about security and spending. For now, the talking continues, and both sides say more meetings are ahead.