US envoys Kushner and Witkoff arrive in Moscow for Ukraine talks with Putin
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They reached Moscow on Thursday, a day after the latest talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine wrapped up in Abu Dhabi.
Videos shared by Russian media showed Kushner and Witkoff disembarking from a plane and being welcomed by Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev with handshakes and hugs.
The American negotiators were due to meet Putin at 12:00 local time (09:00 GMT). They will then fly to Dublin to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Tuesday, Kushner said the US had seen some openings and some opportunities and that they would try to make some progress at the meeting with Putin.
The in-person talks with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents were only announced on Wednesday. They followed two days of talks that were framed as centred around the postwar security architecture of Europe.
Nearly five years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow shows no sign of backing down from its maximalist demands for sovereign Ukrainian territory, or from its demand that Western countries give up any future commitment to protecting Kyiv in case of further attacks.
During the first years of the war, Europeans cut communications with the Kremlin and refused to engage with Russia directly. In recent times, however, many have grown concerned about the current US administration's commitment to European security and its softening towards the Kremlin, and have been pushing for a seat at the negotiating table.
The talks in Abu Dhabi were led by the Americans and included only Russia and Ukraine. Kushner said he and Witkoff would ask Putin to give his blessing to inviting European representatives to future discussions, particularly regarding the future configuration of the continent's security architecture. Kushner also urged Europe to identify one person to speak on their behalf in the negotiations.
The Russians, however, have been opposed to the idea, citing Europe's support for Kyiv as an obstacle. Vladimir Medinsky, who headed the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi, said he thought all parties had moved closer to achieving peace, but that now a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the United States, and on whether Europe comes to its senses.
As Witkoff and Kushner were meeting Russian officials in Moscow, Zelensky said Ukraine's military was again facing news of systematic restrictions to Starshield satellite internet. Elon Musk's SpaceX service plays a key role in frontline communications. Connectivity issues in October lasted about a week, and Musk denied deliberately throttling Ukraine's connection.
Zelensky said in a statement that the restrictions have made it more difficult for Ukrainian forces to intercept Russian jet-powered drones. In his words, this is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine. He said they are trying to clear up all circumstances with the American side.
