US envoys Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow after Abu Dhabi talks
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on 12 November for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The visit follows two days of Ukraine-US-Russia negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which produced an agreement to prepare a new large-scale prisoner exchange. The envoys then planned to travel to Dublin to brief President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Key points
- Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow on 12 November and were met at Vnukovo Airport by Kirill Dmitriev.
- Their meeting with Putin was scheduled for the first half of 12 November.
- The two-day Ukraine-US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi ended on 11 November.
- The parties agreed to prepare a new large-scale prisoner exchange, but final numbers were not settled.
- The envoys sought Putin's approval of the exchange agreement.
- After Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner planned to meet Zelensky in Dublin.
- Kushner said the Abu Dhabi talks were 'very substantive, though quite tense.'
Why it matters
The Moscow meeting continued the first direct Ukraine-US-Russia negotiations in nearly eight months. The discussions covered security guarantees, Russia's demands, the postwar settlement and territorial issues. Although the sides agreed on a new large-scale prisoner exchange, final numbers remained unsettled and required Putin's approval. Kushner also hoped the next negotiating round would include Europe.
What happened
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on the morning of 12 November after flying from Abu Dhabi. Russian presidential special representative Kirill Dmitriev met them at Vnukovo Airport, and their motorcade left for central Moscow. Their meeting with President Vladimir Putin was scheduled for the first half of the day. They intended to discuss the issues raised during the two-day Ukraine-US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi, which ended on 11 November, seek further progress and obtain Putin's approval for the prisoner-exchange agreement reached there. After Moscow, they planned to travel to Dublin, where Zelensky was attending the European Political Community summit, and report the results of the Moscow meeting.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage focused on the agreement to prepare a new large-scale prisoner exchange, disputes over territorial issues and information about the battlefield, and Ukraine's reported rejection of a US proposal on revising borders. Zelensky also emphasized that the first outcome of the Abu Dhabi talks was the exchange agreement and said he expected the US envoys to bring concrete results to Dublin.
Where reporting differs
Ukrainian officials said Russia had an inaccurate understanding of the battlefield and claimed to occupy half of Donbas, while Ukrainian forces actually controlled the area. Separately, The Telegraph reported that a US territorial compromise would have given Russia full control over the front line in Donbas while allowing Kyiv to retain the cities it controls; Ukraine reportedly rejected the proposal.
Background
The two days of trilateral Ukraine-US-Russia negotiations in Abu Dhabi on 10-11 November were the first in-person meetings between Ukrainian and Russian representatives since February. Representatives of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, NATO and the European Union attended in Abu Dhabi, but European consultations with the United States took place separately from the trilateral talks. The Ukrainian delegation also held separate talks with European representatives present in the UAE.