Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to allow European representatives to participate in the next round of Ukraine peace negotiations, potentially opening a new chapter in efforts to end the war.
US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff announced the development after meeting Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on Thursday, alongside fellow envoy Jared Kushner.
However, Putin warned Washington to work with its European allies to establish whether they genuinely wanted peace or were prepared to continue the conflict, highlighting the deep divisions that could complicate negotiations.
“The Europeans will join at the next meeting, which we consider to be a very important moment because they are our partners and it’s important to us that they take part,” Witkoff told Russian state television.
During the meeting, Kushner also told Putin that Washington had detected what he described as “a big change” in Europe’s position and believed involving European representatives would not obstruct progress.
Putin said Russia had never opposed dialogue with European countries, claiming it was the Europeans who had ended discussions with Moscow.
However, he strongly criticised the possibility of Western troops being deployed in Ukraine after a peace agreement, warning that such a move could trigger renewed fighting.
“We would very much like you, gentlemen, and the US administration as a whole, to work with your European allies so that they can finally make up their minds as to what they want: peace or war in Ukraine,” Putin said.
Despite Witkoff’s announcement, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov did not confirm that European representatives would definitely participate in the next round of negotiations.
He instead criticised Europe’s current position on Ukraine, describing it as “a recipe for endless war”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the prospect of European involvement after meeting Witkoff and Kushner in Dublin, where he was attending a European summit.
Zelenskiy said he hoped the next discussions would focus on measures to reduce tensions and establish possible ceasefires.
“We decided that we will work on an agenda about any kind of de-escalation, some kind of ceasefires… I hope that we will have such agenda. Yes, this is important,” he said.
The US envoys’ meeting with Zelenskiy followed two days of trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi earlier this week.
The discussions were the first direct US-mediated peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in nine months.
Both sides acknowledged some progress but said major disagreements remained, particularly over territorial issues.
Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, while Kyiv has refused to surrender the remaining parts of the eastern Donbas region.
Zelenskiy also raised concerns over restrictions affecting Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications service, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications.
He said the latest limitations were affecting the entire front line, including areas under Russian control, and questioned Washington’s approach to discussing a new European security arrangement with Moscow.
“It’s a bit strange,” he said, referring to the discussions about Europe’s future security order.
In a separate development, Putin proposed a joint Russian-Ukrainian humanitarian mission to Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine, a city Moscow claims to control.
Kyiv has disputed Russia’s claim, maintaining that Ukrainian forces still have a presence in the area.
Putin said the proposed mission could follow a similar arrangement that allowed civilians to leave the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern Ukraine last month, while humanitarian assistance was delivered to those who remained.
He claimed Russia would need five days to clear mines from the area around Kostiantynivka, adding that between 400 and 500 residents were still in the city.
Putin also suggested the mission would allow the international community to establish which side controlled the area.
Ushakov said the American envoys had welcomed the proposal and would remain in contact with Moscow over the plan.
However, Kyiv has previously expressed concern that Russia could exploit humanitarian ceasefires to regroup its forces.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, Putin has shown little indication that Moscow is prepared to soften its territorial demands.
These include establishing a buffer zone in parts of Ukraine that Russia has not formally claimed as its own.
Putin reiterated on Thursday that Russia’s preferred state border should determine the only meaningful dividing line between the two countries, signalling Moscow’s continued determination to secure full control of the four Ukrainian regions it claimed to annex in 2022.
