Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Dublin, where he will attend a meeting of the European Political Community with around 50 European leaders. His plane landed at Baldonnel military airfield shortly before 4:15 p.m. local time, the Irish publication “The Journal” reported.
The main meeting will be held on November 12 at the Convention Centre in the Irish capital. The agenda includes the war in Ukraine, European security, economic security and the resilience of democratic institutions. Zelensky is expected to address the participants, while Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin will hold a separate bilateral meeting with him.
Talks with the US Envoys
In Dublin, Zelensky will also meet with US President's special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The talks are scheduled to take place after their visit to Moscow, where the two are due to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kushner said that after the meeting with Putin, the two would travel to Dublin to brief the Ukrainian president on what had been discussed and further examine possible solutions. “We will be with President Zelensky to brief him on the results and further explore some of the ideas we discussed,” he told reporters, as quoted by Ireland's public broadcaster RTÉ.
According to Kushner, the US side sees “some opportunities” for progress, but further talks are needed on a number of issues. The most difficult topics remain territorial disputes and future security guarantees.
After the Talks in Abu Dhabi
The Dublin meeting comes after two days of talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives, mediated by the United States, in Abu Dhabi. European representatives also took part in the discussions. The talks focused on security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe, the post-war security architecture and the possibility of European countries being included in a future format.
Kushner also announced an agreement to prepare a large-scale humanitarian exchange of prisoners of war, with the exact number to be determined later. The Ukrainian president said that Kyiv's priority remains ending the war through a “just peace,” as well as Europe's participation at every stage of the diplomatic process.
Enhanced security measures and significant traffic restrictions have been introduced in Dublin because of the international meeting. The separate meeting between Zelensky, Kushner and Witkoff is linked to diplomatic efforts to end the war, but is not part of the official programme of the European Political Community.
Sources: rte.ie, irishexaminer.com, the42.lambda-front.jrnl.ie