New arrangements for security in Europe will not be finalised before a comprehensive agreement to resolve the conflict in Ukraine is reached. Jared Kushner, special envoy to US President Donald Trump, said this on the social media platform X.
“To bring the hostilities to a definitive end, we need credible security guarantees, conflict-prevention mechanisms and mutual commitments to de-escalation that will reduce the risk of future conflicts,” Kushner wrote.
He stressed that any broader European security framework must take Ukraine’s concerns into account. According to him, the related issues will be discussed in parallel, but “with the exception of humanitarian measures, no decisions will be finalised until a comprehensive agreement is reached”.
European participation in the next round
Kushner also said that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to include European representatives in the next round of negotiations. The schedule and details of the process will be announced soon, he added.
The statement followed a meeting between Kushner and US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 12 November. After the talks, Witkoff said that Russia had agreed to European representatives joining future discussions. This was presented as the position of the US side, while Moscow has not published a separate confirmation of the specific format.
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine held US-backed talks in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November. They were the first direct negotiations between the two countries with US mediation in nine months. The main concrete result was an agreement on a major exchange of prisoners of war, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
No breakthrough on key issues
So far, no ceasefire or comprehensive peace agreement has been announced. According to The Associated Press, the talks in Moscow did not result in a major breakthrough beyond the agreement on the prisoner exchange.
Kushner described the progress in the negotiations on Ukraine as significant, but did not specify which disputed issues had been resolved. Territorial issues and future security guarantees remain among the main topics in the negotiation process.
The US plan envisages Ukraine’s security issues and the broader European security architecture being addressed as interconnected matters. Kushner’s position, however, means that final decisions on the European framework will not be made before an overall agreement to resolve the war is reached.
Sources: investing.com, apnews.com, wsau.com