Zelensky welcomes EU entry into Russia peace talks
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Nile Post
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff’s commitment to involving European Union delegates in the next round of peace talks with Russia, so that the EU would have "a voice". The two men, who had met Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier, also announced the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, according to the BBC.
Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, welcomed the announced participation of European Union representatives in the next peace talks with Russia. He believes their presence will give the EU a voice in the negotiations, according to the BBC.
The commitment was announced by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff after their meeting with Zelensky in Dublin on Thursday. The two men had met Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier in the day; the Russian president maintained his position on the war and his territorial claims, according to the BBC. European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said the presence of a European representative showed that Moscow now recognised Europe’s weight in the matter.
Russia and Ukraine have also agreed to a new prisoner exchange, described by Kushner as the largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The number of prisoners involved and the timetable for the exchange were not announced. The announcement comes after talks held in Abu Dhabi the previous week, which failed to produce progress in the negotiations.
