The United States is facilitating direct engagement between Russia and Europe as part of a drive to reach a U.S. peace deal. war in UkrainePresident Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner said Saturday.
Kushner and Steve Witkoff held separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week, as the Trump administration works to end a conflict that has lasted more than four and a half years. These meetings took place after the first round of negotiations between the two countries under the auspices of the United States since February. concluded Wednesday with the announcement of plans for a new prisoner exchange and new talks, but nothing that suggests a broader peace deal.
“Our goal now is to facilitate direct engagement between Moscow and our European partners and prepare the agenda for the next round of trilateral negotiations,” Kushner said in a social media post Saturday. “Several new ideas emerged from these discussions and are currently being explored. Some could lead directly to breakthroughs, while others could evolve into new proposals that would help fill remaining gaps.”
Zelensky, in statements released Saturday, said the United States had raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe, while warning that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders.
“In my opinion, it can be dangerous,” Zelensky told reporters Friday, referring to the new security framework. “That should not be the main agenda.” His comments were under embargo until Saturday.
Zelensky said the United States had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the country. Donbass region in eastern Ukraine that Russia would not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO. He reaffirmed that Kyiv would not cede its territory.
He also said he believed Moscow wanted to reopen broader questions about European security rather than focusing exclusively on ending the war.
“Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact. I am sure that this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe,” he said. “It is dangerous because, in my opinion, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations.”
European leaders have stressed that decisions about the continent’s security must be made by Europeans themselves, warning against allowing Russia to dictate the terms of a new security order or negotiate the future of NATO.
Ukraine is discussing with its partners a package of comprehensive security measures that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, as well as significant military and financial support from Ukraine for a specific period, he said. This would also include a recovery plan, he said.
“If the American side confirms precisely this to us and other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: do we accept it or not?” » said Zelensky.
He stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing the occupied territories as Russian.
Zelensky also rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country’s constitution.
“If Putin hopes that Ukraine’s neutrality will be guaranteed, this will not happen,” he said. “We’re not part of NATO at the moment anyway.”
Kushner said Saturday that lasting peace in Ukraine requires security guarantees for kyiv and “detailed and workable post-war security arrangements that reduce the risk of another war.”
“NATO will remain an essential pillar of European security, reinforced by stronger mechanisms for defence, communication, deconfliction and mutual de-escalation, with practical means to resolve disputes before they turn into crises,” he added. “That is why we are working to directly involve our European partners in these discussions. Any final agreement must be agreed to by the parties involved, and President Trump will only support arrangements that strengthen the security of Ukraine and Europe and make future conflict less likely.”
Zelensky warned that broader discussions on Europe’s security could allow Putin to seek changes to NATO’s military presence, including the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
He said Putin raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and around the world.
“I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden. I am sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltics,” Zelensky said.
He said any changes in European security arrangements should only be decided by European NATO members after the end of the war.
“The sequence should be: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine and security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said. “There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.”
Mr. Trump is expected to meet Putin next week in a trilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He is not expected to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, officials said.
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