Dublin [Ireland], November 15 (ANI): US Special Envoy Jared Kushner on Saturday (local time) said that Washington's current focus is on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners as diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict move towards the next round of trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
In a post on X, Kushner said he and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had remained in close consultation with Russia, Ukraine and their European partners following the first round of trilateral meetings and subsequent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Our focus now is on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks," Kushner said.
He added that several new ideas had emerged during the discussions and were being explored, with some potentially leading to breakthroughs and others developing into proposals to bridge the remaining differences between the parties.
Kushner also underlined the importance of security guarantees for Ukraine and detailed post-war security arrangements, saying any lasting peace agreement must reduce the possibility of another conflict.
"As President Donald Trump has made clear, A lasting peace requires credible security guarantees for Ukraine and detailed, actionable postwar security arrangements that reduce the risk of another war," he said.
Emphasising the role of European partners in the negotiations, Kushner said NATO would remain a critical pillar of European security, supported by stronger mechanisms for military coordination, communication, deconfliction and reciprocal de-escalation.
He further said that any final agreement would require the consent of the relevant parties and that Trump would support only arrangements that strengthen the security of Ukraine and Europe and make another conflict less likely.
Addressing reports about the positions taken by Moscow and Kyiv, Kushner said both sides understood the need for practical compromises despite their public statements and political rhetoric.
"The press has reported some of the maximalist positions proposed by both sides, along with strong political rhetoric. In our private discussions, both sides understand that practical compromises will be necessary to end this war. Serious and constructive work continues among those of us committed to finding solutions," he said.
Kushner acknowledged the devastating human cost of the conflict and said the US-led diplomatic efforts would continue, while maintaining confidentiality around sensitive negotiations.
His remarks follow the recent trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, which concluded without a breakthrough on ending the conflict but resulted in a prisoner exchange.
The latest diplomatic engagement also follows discussions between Kushner, Witkoff and Zelenskyy in Ireland, after their meeting with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow. The discussions with the Ukrainian President focused on humanitarian issues, greater European participation in peace negotiations and further diplomatic engagements.
Following the Ireland meeting, Zelenskyy said the discussions had produced three key outcomes, including preparations for what could become the largest prisoner exchange since the beginning of the conflict.
"First, a humanitarian outcome – prisoners will be released, and we are counting on the largest prisoner exchange since the start of this war," Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
He also stressed the need for European representatives to have an equal role in the diplomatic process, saying Ukraine wanted Europe to be directly involved in decisions concerning the continent's security.
"The second outcome – we are involving European representatives even more actively in diplomacy so that they can have an equal seat at the negotiating table. Ukraine always defends the interests of all of Europe," he added.
Meanwhile, European involvement in the peace process has gained momentum, with leaders agreeing to send representatives from five countries -- the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Poland -- to participate in future peace discussions.
These five countries have also indicated their readiness to contribute troops as part of a proposed "coalition of the willing" to help secure Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had earlier said that European security could not be discussed without Europe's participation.
The Kremlin has indicated openness to negotiations with European countries but has criticised what it described as a lack of proposals from the bloc.
During his discussions with US envoys in Moscow, Putin reiterated Moscow's opposition to the deployment of foreign troops on Ukrainian territory following a potential peace agreement.
"The presence of any foreign troops on Ukrainian territory is absolutely unacceptable to us," Putin said.
Despite renewed diplomatic engagement and discussions on security guarantees, territorial arrangements and the future security framework remain among the issues confronting efforts to reach a peace agreement. (ANI)
US envoy Kushner says focus now on "facilitating direct engagement" between Russia, Europe on Ukraine peace talks
