American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on the morning of 12 November, where they are due to meet Vladimir Putin. Representatives of US President Donald Trump flew in following two days of talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, which concluded with a preliminary agreement on a major exchange of prisoners of war, but failed to produce a breakthrough on ending the war. Following the meeting at the Kremlin, the American delegation plans to travel to Dublin for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- On 12 November, Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks with Putin.
- The American delegation was met at Vnukovo Airport by the Russian Special Representative, Kirill Dmitriev.
- Preliminary talks in Abu Dhabi concluded with an agreement to prepare for a prisoner exchange.
- Territorial issues and security guarantees remain the main points of contention.
- After Moscow, the American representatives plan to meet with Zelenskyy in Dublin.
Kirill Dmitriev welcomed the American delegation in Moscow
A plane from Witkoff і Kushner landed at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. There, they were met by the Russian President’s Special Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation Kirill Dmitriev, who heads the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
Upon arrival, the motorcade carrying the US representatives and Dmitriev set off for the centre of the Russian capital. According to Reuters, ahead of their meeting with Putin, the American negotiators also planned to hold separate consultations with the Russian special representative.
Putin’s aide Yuriy Ushakov He had previously announced that the talks in the Kremlin were due to take place in the first half of 12 November. The Russian side has not released a detailed agenda.
For Witkoff, this will be his tenth individual title a meeting with Putin as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at bringing the Russian-Ukrainian war to an end.
Following the Abu Dhabi summit, disputes over territories remain
Talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia took place on 10–11 November in the United Arab Emirates. According to their results The parties have agreed in principle to carry out a new large-scale exchange of prisoners of war. The details regarding the number of prisoners involved and the timing are yet to be agreed.
At the same time, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on a ceasefire. Moscow’s territorial demands remain one of the main obstacles. Russia insists on the transfer of the entire Donbas region to it, whilst Ukraine rejects the possibility of ceding any of its territories.
American mediators are trying to push forward discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine and the terms of post-war reconstruction. Following talks in Abu Dhabi, Kushner stated that the parties see opportunities for further progress, although a number of key issues remain unresolved.
Zelenskyy is awaiting Russia’s response following talks in the Kremlin
Following their meeting in Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner plan to travel to Dublin, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president is hoping to receive from the American delegation a specific response from the Russian side to the proposals discussed in Abu Dhabi.
This primarily concerns humanitarian issues, security guarantees and the possibility of direct talks at the leaders’ level.
Zelenskyy emphasised that the American representatives had travelled to Moscow with agreed proposals. At the same time, the President of Ukraine expressed doubt that the Russian side was prepared to provide specific answers during this round of consultations.
At the time of writing, the outcome of the meeting between Witkoff and Kushner with Putin had not yet been made public.
