MOSCOW (Realist English). The plane carrying the American negotiators landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on 12 November. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were met by Russian presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev. According to TASS, the meeting with Vladimir Putin was scheduled for the morning.
After Abu Dhabi
The visit to Moscow took place after two days of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US in Abu Dhabi. As previously reported, the parties reached an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange, but specific numbers have not yet been agreed. According to sources, the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi refused to discuss a ceasefire, territorial issues, energy and security in the Black Sea.
Kushner’s position: “some breakthroughs”
Before flying out of Abu Dhabi, Jared Kushner told journalists that successive meetings with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine are aimed at “making more progress on some of the issues we discussed.” “There are some breakthroughs and opportunities visible in these issues,” he added.
One of the key topics the American envoys intend to raise in Moscow is expanding the format of talks to include European countries and NATO. Kushner has said that the EU and the alliance should become an “integral part” of negotiations to end the war.
Results of the meeting with Putin: “useful, but no breakthrough”
According to Reuters, the meeting with Putin lasted more than three hours. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the talks as “very useful” but did not report any breakthrough.
According to him, the American representatives “set out a number of ideas regarding possible ways to settle the conflict,” without specifying what those ideas were. Putin, in turn, told the American side that Russia is “achieving real progress on the battlefield” and is confident of achieving its goals, stressing the need to eliminate “all root causes of the conflict.”
Ushakov also noted that the talks “went beyond a simple exchange of views” and that “economic issues and potential large mutually beneficial Russian-American projects were discussed in detail.” Kirill Dmitriev after the meeting called it an “important peacemaking visit.”
Gesture of goodwill and persisting differences
Before the talks began, Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops not to strike Kyiv for three days in connection with the visit of American representatives. Vladimir Zelensky, for his part, said that Kyiv is ready to refrain from strikes on Moscow until Monday.
Nevertheless, fundamental differences remain. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin still intends to take control of additional territories and “will not agree to a ceasefire along the frontline until he secures the remaining part of the Donetsk region.” The Ukrainian side, in turn, rejects territorial concessions.
Next step: Dublin and Zelensky
After Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner will head to Dublin, where they will meet with Vladimir Zelensky, who will be participating in the European Political Community summit. The American envoys are expected to brief the Ukrainian president on the results of the talks with Putin.
The arrival of the American envoys in Moscow marks an attempt to transform the trilateral format that emerged in Abu Dhabi into a broader process involving Europe.
However, the results of the meeting with Putin — “useful, but no breakthrough” — indicate that the fundamental gap in positions remains. The Kremlin insists on “realities on the ground” and territorial demands, Ukraine rejects them, and Europe, whose participation Kushner is trying to secure, remains on the sidelines of direct negotiations. The key question is whether Washington can convert “some ideas” set out in Moscow into concrete steps before the meeting with Zelensky in Dublin, or whether the visit will remain another round of exchange of views without tangible results.
