US Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow and Zelensky in Dublin
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day, following talks in Abu Dhabi that made no major progress apart from a large prisoner exchange.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin on the same day. The two meetings follow the latest round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the first direct meeting of the two sides' delegations since early February. The round produced no substantial progress, and its only concrete result is a large prisoner exchange.
Jared Kushner described the exchange as "the largest humanitarian release of prisoners" during the conflict. The exact number of prisoners is to be determined on Thursday. Before these talks, Zelensky had proposed either a 1,000-for-1,000 or a 1,500-for-1,500 exchange. The final agreement will therefore be an understanding on a figure to be confirmed in the coming days.
Zelensky said the Americans arrived in Moscow with concrete proposals and noted a more positive and warmer American tone than before. He hopes a ceasefire can be concluded by the end of the year. However, the head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, warned that significant differences remain between the positions, and Zelensky's optimistic assessment does not change this reality.
One point of contention is when Europe should be involved in the negotiations. Both sides say Europe must be included, but there is not yet agreement on the timing. This is an important issue, given that European countries are directly affected by the war, which has already entered its fourth year.
The security question remains central. Kyiv demands solid guarantees against a new attack, while Russia demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donetsk region. Kyiv categorically rejects this demand, and it is one of the most difficult points of the negotiations to reconcile.
The positions of the two sides remain radically different after four years of war. The simultaneous meetings in Moscow and Dublin show an intensification of American diplomatic efforts, but for now nothing indicates a decisive breakthrough. The prisoner exchange, whose figure is yet to be fixed, remains the only tangible result of the recent talks.
Source: g4media.ro
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