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

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Thursday, Nov. 12, for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine.^[1] The visit came one day after U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine ended in Abu Dhabi.^[1] The two envoys were then due to fly to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.^[1]

Related: Russia and Ukraine Agree to a Large Prisoner Exchange as Abu Dhabi Talks End Without a Breakthrough.

What happened in Moscow

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev greeted Witkoff and Kushner with handshakes and hugs after they landed.^[1] The meeting with Putin was scheduled for 12:00 local time, or 09:00 GMT.^[1] The envoys had arrived at the Kremlin by 5:33 a.m. Eastern time.^[2] Neither government had released details of the talks at the time of publication.

The in-person meetings with Putin and Zelensky were announced Wednesday.^[1] They followed two days of talks in Abu Dhabi framed around Europe’s postwar security architecture.^[1] On Tuesday, Kushner said the United States had seen “some openings and some opportunities,” the BBC reported.^[1]

Europe seeks a seat at the table

Kushner said he and Witkoff would ask Putin to “give his blessing” to inviting European representatives into future talks.^[1] He also urged Europe to “identify one person to speak on their behalf.”^[1] Russia has opposed the idea, citing Europe’s support for Kyiv.^[1]

Vladimir Medinsky, who led Russia’s delegation in Abu Dhabi, said all parties had “moved closer to achieving peace.”^[1] He added that “a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the United States, and on whether Europe comes to its senses.”^[1]

European leaders gathered in Dublin on Thursday for a European Political Community summit.^[2] Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said Europe needs a “clear, coherent” voice in the Ukraine talks.^[2] He said the purpose of the Dublin meeting was “to debrief president Zelenskyy” on the envoys’ talks with Putin.^[2] Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden said European Council President António Costa was “a natural person to represent the EU.”^[2]

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said, “We do not see any goodwill from the Russian side.”^[2] She called for a ceasefire before formal peace talks.^[2] France’s Europe minister said the EU would approve new sanctions on Russia on Monday.^[2]

Zelensky reports Starshield restrictions

As the envoys met Russian officials, Zelensky said Ukraine’s military again faced “systematic” restrictions on Starshield, the SpaceX satellite service used for frontline communications.^[1] He said speeds were being limited to 161 kilometers per hour, or 100 miles per hour, and that the problem had lasted “for several days now.”^[2] He said the limits made it harder to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.^[1]

“This is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine,” Zelensky said.^[1] Connectivity problems in October lasted about a week.^[1] Elon Musk denied deliberately throttling Ukraine’s connection.^[1]

What comes next

Witkoff and Kushner were expected in Dublin on Thursday night to meet Zelensky.^[2] Martin said EU leaders would discuss Europe’s representation “in the margins” Thursday, with a more formal discussion at an informal EU summit on Friday.^[2] Russia has shown no sign of dropping its demands for Ukrainian territory and for Western countries to give up future security commitments to Kyiv.^[1]

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

Sources

1. BBC News: US envoys arrive in Moscow for Ukraine talks with Vladimir Putin
2. The Guardian: Ukraine hit by ‘significant’ Starshield disruptions as US envoys meet Putin, Zelenskyy says – 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.