Zelenskyy meets nearly 20 partners in Dublin as US envoys secure prisoner-swap agreement
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met leaders of roughly 20 countries and organisations in Dublin on 12 November during a gathering organised by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Partners discussed air-defence missiles, energy support, shelters, Ukraine’s financial stability, PURL contributions and security guarantees. That evening, Zelenskyy met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had met Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and confirmed a prisoner exchange described as the largest of the war.
Key points
- The Dublin meeting brought together 18 leaders, including Zelenskyy, from roughly 20 partner countries and organisations.
- UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham organised the multilateral meeting.
- Air-defence missiles, energy support and shelter construction were among the main priorities.
- Partners also discussed Ukraine’s financial stability, new PURL contributions and security guarantees.
- Zelenskyy met Witkoff and Kushner at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel on the evening of 12 November.
- Ukraine, Russia and the US agreed a prisoner exchange in Abu Dhabi, but did not publish final figures.
- A Coalition of the Willing meeting was scheduled in Berlin the following week.
Why it matters
The gathering brought together about 20 of Ukraine’s closest partners and addressed immediate winter needs, including air defence, energy resilience and shelter construction, alongside longer-term financial and security support. Zelenskyy’s meeting with Witkoff and Kushner also linked the European support track with efforts to secure a major prisoner exchange, possible truces in energy and at sea, security guarantees and a new negotiation round with European voting rights. Britain’s new sanctions on the Russian oil sector added economic pressure on Moscow.
What happened
On 12 November, on the margins of the European Political Community summit in Dublin, Zelenskyy met 17 other leaders representing roughly 20 countries and organisations. Burnham organised the meeting. Participants discussed supplying air-defence missiles, providing energy support, building new shelters, maintaining Ukraine’s financial stability, increasing contributions to the PURL programme and providing security guarantees. Lithuania said it would provide part of the energy equipment Ukraine needed.
That evening, Zelenskyy met US presidential envoys Witkoff and Kushner at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel. The envoys had arrived from Moscow after meeting Putin. Zelenskyy and Kushner confirmed the Abu Dhabi agreement on a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which Zelenskyy described as the largest of the war. Final numbers were not disclosed. The American envoys also reported agreement on a new trilateral negotiating round with European participation and voting rights. A Coalition of the Willing meeting in Berlin was planned for the following week.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage focused on the practical support sought by Kyiv: air-defence missiles, energy assistance, shelters, funding through PURL and security guarantees. Reports also emphasised the urgency created by intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukraine’s shortage of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems. Zelenskyy pressed for a decision on European representation in peace talks by the end of December and coordinated positions with Macron and Meloni before the Berlin meeting.
How international sources describe it
International reporting emphasised the diplomatic mechanics of the Witkoff–Kushner trip, including their meeting with Putin and the proposed new negotiation round. It also highlighted Britain’s sanctions package against the Russian oil sector, presented as the first targeting all ten of Russia’s largest oil producers, and the unresolved question of who would represent Europe at the negotiating table. The Kremlin’s condition that Europe halt military assistance to Ukraine was also central to the international framing.
Where reporting differs
Witkoff and Kushner said Moscow had agreed to a new round involving Europe and that Putin was ready to try such an arrangement. However, the Kremlin had previously opposed European participation and subsequently conditioned further discussions on Europe ending military aid to Ukraine. The prisoner exchange was also described as the largest of the war, with Kushner saying thousands would be released, but its final scale was not disclosed and substantial differences reportedly remained.
Background
The Dublin gathering took place alongside the European Political Community summit, attended by more than 50 leaders. Its central question was who would represent Europe in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Two-day Ukraine–US–Russia talks in Abu Dhabi on 10–11 November ended without a breakthrough but produced agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the European proposal for a truce, while the Kremlin demanded that Europe stop providing military assistance to Ukraine. The meeting with Witkoff and Kushner took place at Casement Aerodrome, the Irish Air Corps’ main air base and only military airfield.