Europe must appoint a single person to speak on its behalf in the negotiations for a peaceful settlement to the war between Russia and Ukraine, Jared Kushner said after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi. US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law made the comment at a time when European representatives are insisting on getting a seat at the negotiating table.
“If Europe can identify one person to speak on its behalf, that would be a greater achievement than getting the Russians to include it in the negotiations,” Kushner said, quoted by “The Washington Post”. He added that Europe is “a very diverse mix of personalities, positions and interests.”
Europeans remained outside the main talks
Representatives of the European Union, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy were present in Abu Dhabi. However, they did not take part in the main trilateral talks between the American, Russian and Ukrainian delegations. Moscow opposes the direct involvement of European countries, accusing them of supporting Kyiv with weapons and funding.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Europe must be represented at every stage of the diplomatic process. According to him, Ukraine’s priority is for the war to end as soon as possible with a just peace.
Kushner said that NATO and the European Union would be an “integral part” of the future security structure after the war. In his view, both Russia and Ukraine need clarity about security arrangements after the end of hostilities.
Prisoner exchange agreed
The two-day talks ended without a breakthrough on the main contentious issues, but Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war. Kushner said that the final number still needed to be determined. According to the Associated Press, the exchange could take place within the next two to three weeks.
The most difficult issue remains territorial matters. Kushner described the talks as “difficult but productive,” while chief Ukrainian negotiator Davyd Arakhamia called them among the toughest since the beginning of his involvement in the diplomatic process.
Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff plan to travel to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After that, the two are expected to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin. Kushner said that one of the aims of the talks with Putin was to find a way to include European representatives in future negotiations.
Sources: apnews.com, washingtonpost.com