Witkoff and Kushner meet with Putin: Everything we know about talks

What is known so far:

The meeting between Putin, Witkoff, and Kushner began at 02:07 pm Kyiv time, although the US envoys had been at the Kremlin since 12:00 pm.

"Putin noted progress on the humanitarian track and asked Witkoff and Kushner to convey his gratitude to Trump for arranging contacts between Russia and Ukraine," the Russian news agency Interfax reported.

The Russian leader expressed his "special gratitude" to US First Lady Melania Trump "for resolving the humanitarian issue surrounding Oleshky, a settlement that was blockaded as a result of Russian aggression."

It is also known that Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Abu Dhabi, as well as Putin's representatives Dmitriev and Ushakov, are taking part in the meeting with Witkoff and Kushner.

What will be discussed in Moscow

Witkoff and Kushner arrived at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport early on November 12. They were met there by Putin's representative, Russian Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev.

Upon arriving in Moscow, Witkoff expressed hope that "peace had come closer" following the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.

At 12:02 pm, Russian media reported that the US envoys' motorcade, accompanied by Dmitriev, had arrived at the Kremlin.

Before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US envoys held a separate discussion with Dmitriev. Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov also visited the Four Seasons hotel, where Witkoff and Kushner had arrived, and held "preliminary consultations" with Trump's envoys.

According to him, Putin will discuss "all issues" related to achieving a peaceful settlement in Ukraine with the envoys. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Putin would convey Russia's position to the US negotiators.

However, while the Kremlin has spoken negatively about Europe's participation at the negotiating table, Putin's team has unexpectedly backed NATO's involvement. Ryabkov said that the presence of NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, in Abu Dhabi "added professionalism to the discussion of security issues in Europe."

As Kushner previously announced, the US side wants to discuss what was raised in Abu Dhabi and "try to make more progress on some of the issues discussed." According to him, the envoys see certain prospects and opportunities.

According to Axios, the US asked Russia to submit new proposals for a possible agreement on security in Europe that would include steps by Moscow to reduce tensions on the continent. Witkoff and Kushner are reportedly expected to convey this request to Putin.

After talks with Putin, Trump's envoys plan to travel to Dublin, where they are scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian leader noted that he expects to receive a response from the Russian side to the issues raised during the meeting in Abu Dhabi from Witkoff and Kushner this evening, November 12.

How the Abu Dhabi talks ended

The second day of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia concluded in Abu Dhabi on November 11. These were the first negotiations in this format since February this year.

David Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction and a member of the Ukrainian delegation, described the talks as "tough." He explained that the Russians had brought very strict directives, making it difficult to ease the discussions.

However, the parties managed to reach an agreement on a large-scale prisoner of war exchange. Zelenskyy said it could involve a 1,000 for 1,000 or 1,500 for 1,500 format.

According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the Russian delegation refused to discuss a ceasefire, territorial issues, energy, and security in the Black Sea with the Ukrainian side. The parties did not reach substantive discussions on territorial issues.

Instead, the Russians insisted on returning to their proposals for so-called security guarantees from December 2021. At the time, Moscow demanded, among other things, an end to NATO enlargement and restrictions on the Alliance's military cooperation with Ukraine.

According to the outlet's sources, the talks were difficult, although some progress has been made. At the same time, there is no indication of any breakthroughs for Ukraine so far.

Europe's participation

Alongside the trilateral meetings, separate talks were held between Ukraine, the US, and European partners. Representatives of NATO, the European Commission, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy took part. The Russian delegation did not participate in this meeting.

In a joint statement, the participants stressed that any future agreements must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, its right to make its own decisions, and provide reliable security guarantees.

According to RBC-Ukraine sources, the format of the next meetings could change, with European representatives potentially joining joint talks with Russia. This is related to discussions on the future security architecture of Europe.

US presidential envoy Kushner said that Europe should choose a single representative to take part in negotiations on ending Russia's war against Ukraine.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who is being considered as one of the possible representatives of Europe in the talks, announced that a technical meeting involving Ukraine, the US, Russia, and Europe would be held within the next one to two weeks.