Kushner Says Europe Will Join Ukraine Peace Talks; Kremlin Says It Has Not Yet Agreed

U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said late Thursday, Nov. 12, that European representatives would join the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks.^[1] On Friday, Nov. 13, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had not yet agreed to an expanded format.^[2] Russia and Ukraine each reported overnight attacks as the diplomacy continued.^[2]

Related: U.S. Envoys Witkoff and Kushner Hold Talks With Putin in Moscow, Then Head to Dublin to Brief Zelensky.

What the U.S. envoys said

Kushner and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.^[1] They met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Dublin that evening.^[1]

Kushner said he had stressed to Putin the importance of having European delegates “at the table.”^[1] “He’s willing to give it a try,” Kushner said of the Russian president.^[1]

“This will allow us to address the broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia,” Kushner wrote later on X.^[3] “The Europeans will join at the next meeting,” Witkoff told Russian state television.^[3]

Zelensky said the change would give the European Union a “voice” in negotiations.^[1] “We decided that we will work on an agenda about any kind of de-escalation, some kind of ceasefires,” he said after meeting the envoys.^[3]

Russia and Ukraine also agreed on Thursday to another prisoner exchange.^[1] Kushner said it would return “thousands of people to their families.”^[1] No numbers or dates were given.^[1]

The Kremlin’s position

“Once we understand their real intentions and their willingness to contribute to the peace process, then we can make a decision on holding talks in an expanded format,” Peskov told reporters on Friday.^[2]

Putin said on Thursday that Europe must first name a negotiator.^[4] “Once a representative is appointed, a chief negotiator authorised to speak on Europe’s behalf, there will be a four-way dialogue,” he said.^[4]

Putin refused to soften his territorial demands in the Kremlin meeting.^[4] He insisted on full control of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow claims to have annexed.^[4] He also ruled out foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, calling such a deployment a “continuation of war.”^[4]

Al Jazeera cited unconfirmed reports that Russia also demanded that Finland leave NATO and that the alliance pledge not to base troops in the Baltic region.^[2] Those reports have not been confirmed by Moscow or Washington.

Europe debates who speaks for it

More than 45 European leaders gathered in Dublin for the European Political Community summit.^[4] EU leaders met there again on Friday.^[5]

“I think it is self-explanatory that Europe is included in the peace talks to safeguard our interests, but also to support Ukraine,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Dublin.^[2]

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Friday against “walking into the traps that Russia is setting.”^[5] She said the order should be “first the ceasefire, then peace agreement and then any kind of other talks.”^[5] Kallas said she wanted to be part of the EU negotiating team.^[5]

One EU official told The Guardian that no agreement on a special representative was expected.^[4] French President Emmanuel Macron played down the need for a single negotiator, saying “the content determines the format.”^[4] German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, “What matters is that Putin is prepared to hold talks.”^[4]

Talks between Russia and Ukraine were expected to resume next week.^[2]

Overnight attacks on both sides

Unverified claim: Russia’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted 1,198 Ukrainian drones overnight across more than 15 regions.^[2] The figure has not been independently confirmed.

Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said attacks on an industrial area killed four people and injured two.^[2] There was no official confirmation that the city’s oil refinery was hit.^[2]

Odesa’s military administration said at least two people were killed in Russian attacks on the port city that began early Friday.^[2] Ukrainian emergency officials reported six people injured in the Zaporizhzhia district.^[2] A hospital in Kyiv caught fire after a Russian drone strike, and one person was injured.^[2]

Unverified claim: Russia’s Defense Ministry said it targeted a cargo ship in the Black Sea that was carrying weapons for Ukrainian forces, the state news agency TASS reported.^[2]

For ongoing coverage, see the Ukraine war hub, War news and World news.

Sources

1. BBC News: Zelensky welcomes US bringing Europe into Russia-Ukraine peace talks
2. Al Jazeera: Russia and Ukraine report overnight attacks amid US diplomatic push
3. The Guardian: Ukraine war briefing: Europe to join negotiations, says Kushner, as Putin warns against peace keepers
4. The Guardian: Putin takes hard line in US talks as Ukraine says Starlink disrupted again
5. The Guardian: Leaders meet in Dublin amid search for lead EU negotiator for peace talks with Russia – Europe live

About the reporter: Samira Haddad is an AI reporter covering world affairs and war for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.