European representatives will join discussions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff in Dublin on Thursday evening, a European diplomatic source said, as Europe pushes for a seat at the Ukraine peace talks.
Advisers or diplomats from France, Germany, Britain and potentially other nations will attend the meeting, the source said.
The meeting takes place on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit in Dublin, hours after Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. Putin indicated Russia will not compromise on its hard-line demands to bring the conflict to a close, according to AFP.
Zelenskyy announced the meeting during an address to the summit's plenary session, saying the envoys would brief him on the results of the Moscow talks. He has insisted that Europe "must be represented" in any negotiations over Ukraine's future.
The talks follow two days of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Wednesday with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange, although the exact number of detainees to be released is yet to be finalised. European representatives were present on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi discussions but did not meet directly with Russia.
Washington is urging Moscow to allow European representatives to sit at the table for the next round of talks, and Kushner has said the United States is working to expand the format so Europeans can be included.
EU leaders will meet in Dublin again on Friday for an informal European Council, where they will discuss Europe's role in the negotiations as well as artificial intelligence. The bloc is unlikely to appoint a single special envoy for the talks at the summit, an EU spokesperson said, according to DW.
