Trump envoys meet Putin on Ukraine as talks resume

Envoys meet Putin in Moscow

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin on Thursday to discuss Ukraine peace negotiations.

Witkoff claims progress made

Witkoff told reporters after the meeting that progress was made and that trilateral talks have been restarted with a new meeting set. He said this is what President Trump wants to see.

“I think progress was made. I think it was made earlier today.”

European representatives to join next round

A European representative will be present for the next stage of talks, which will examine the continent's wider security arrangements. Witkoff said Europe's involvement is important as they are partners.

“They're our partners, and it's important for them to be involved.”

Envoys to brief Zelensky in Dublin

Witkoff and Kushner are en route to Dublin to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on developments from the Moscow talks. Zelensky is in Dublin for the European Political Community summit.

Zelensky sees window of opportunity

Zelensky expressed optimism about negotiations, saying there is a window of opportunity to reach a peace deal with Russia by the beginning of twenty twenty-seven.

“There really is this window of opportunity, when all the participants involved in this negotiating process could get the result by the beginning of 2027.”

Territory remains major sticking point

Russia and Ukraine remain divided on key issues despite some progress in Abu Dhabi talks. Kyiv has strongly rejected Putin's demands to surrender the entirety of the eastern Donbas region.

Putin opposes foreign peacekeeping troops

Putin told Witkoff and Kushner he would consider foreign peacekeeping troops in Ukraine as a continuation of war. This represents a major obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.

EU prepares twenty-second sanctions package

The European Union is preparing its twenty-second package of sanctions against Russia to increase economic pressure on Moscow and strengthen Ukraine's position in future peace talks.

UK announces new oil producer sanctions

The U.K. government announced new levies targeting Russia's ten largest oil producers. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the move as stinging new sanctions to drive forward an end to the war.

Zelensky raises Starshield restrictions

Zelensky raised concerns about new speed restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade version of Elon Musk's Starlink service. He said the Ukrainian military is facing systematic restrictions and struggling to intercept Russian drones.

“This is helping the Russians kill more Ukrainians and carry out more accurate strikes against Ukraine.”

Ukraine denies Starlink terms breach

Kyiv denied breaching Starlink's terms of service after Musk accused Ukraine of violating them by using the system for military activity. Ukrainian adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said Starlink does not work over Russian territory.

“It's very strange that Elon Musk doesn't know about the restrictions on Starlink in Ukraine.”