The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, has announced the restart of the trilateral dialogue format with Russia and the United States after meeting with the special envoys of the White House, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The head of state has emphasized the agreement reached to carry out "the largest exchange of prisoners of war" since the start of the invasion, as well as the direct incorporation of the European partners into the negotiating table at the next round.
At a joint appearance before the press, after the diplomatic round held in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and the visit of the American envoys to Moscow to interview the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Zelenski celebrated in Dublin—after taking part in the European Political Community Summit—that "the negotiating format has been unlocked." This step opens the door to new meetings aimed at agreeing on a de-escalation agenda and exploring possible ceasefires.
"First of all, our trilateral meeting was unlocked, and it is very important because it gives hope that we will put an end to this war," the head of the Ukrainian state has said.
For his part, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump and adviser in the talks, Jared Kushner, has highlighted the agreement to repatriate "thousands" of captured military personnel. Although Kiev continues to defend an exchange "everyone for everyone," Zelenski has defined the understanding as a "real success" for families and a concrete step toward peace.
The Ukrainian president has also emphasized as a key element that all parties have accepted that Europe participate actively in the negotiating team at the next meeting, and not outside the process. "It is important because the war is in Europe. We will be members of the European Union in the future and security guarantees in Europe are fundamental for prosperity," he said.
U.S. highlights Putin's openness to include Europe
Kushner explained that he and Witkoff held in Moscow a "very detailed and productive" meeting with Putin after the working sessions in the United Arab Emirates, in which the final details of the prisoner exchange were closed.
Along these lines, the White House envoy has stressed that there has been a "significant advance" both in identifying the concerns of each party and in the search for possible formulas for compromise, as well as in defining a roadmap to move toward an agreement.
He has also indicated that the U.S. delegation conveyed to the Kremlin that “it is very important not to conclude this agreement without the Europeans being at the table,” ensuring that Putin “is willing to try it” in order to lower tensions and address pending issues with greater calm.
“For a durable cessation of hostilities, solid security guarantees are needed, mechanisms to prevent clashes, and mutual commitments to de-escalation,” he said, before confirming that the parties have accepted adding in the next round of talks the European partners. The goal will be to jointly address the future security guarantees on the continent, as well as the territorial disputes between Russia and Ukraine.
In addition, the U.S. envoy has advanced that Washington is working closely with Zelenski’s team and with General Alexus Grynkewich on an economic plan for the reconstruction of Ukraine and on the design of postwar security guarantees that would prevent the conflict from being repeated in the region.
In this regard, Kushner has stressed that any future European security framework will take into account Kiev’s demands. “No broader security agreement in Europe will be finalized without taking into account Ukraine’s security concerns,” he asserted.
Washington insists on the human impact of the war
The U.S. representative has also clarified that security issues and the future territorial situation will be addressed in parallel, although he noted that, except for humanitarian initiatives, no definitive commitment will be closed until a global understanding is reached between the parties.
In the humanitarian sphere, Kushner has focused on efforts to finalize a prisoner exchange that could become the largest since the outbreak of the war and allow the return of thousands of people with their relatives. Washington’s envoy appealed to the “goodwill” and “seriousness” of both sides to complete the operation, while acknowledging the profound human cost of the conflict.
Witkoff, for his part, has confirmed that the agreed exchange will represent "the greatest release of hostages and prisoners" to date —although the parties have not yet detailed the location or the timing of its execution— and has emphasized that both envoys traveled in person to inform Zelenski following President Trump’s instructions to accelerate efforts to end the war.
Finally, Kushner has advanced that the U.S. Administration intends to communicate shortly the priority matters of the next rounds of negotiations, as well as the schedule and other elements of the process. The negotiator reiterated that Trump maintains his commitment to end the war, despite the fact that "substantial differences" persist between the parties, and he defended that the progress achieved makes it possible to maintain hope of reaching a solution that guarantees "a sovereign, secure and prosperous Ukraine, and a more stable Europe".