Zelensky says Europe will join talks team after meeting Witkoff, Kushner

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Dublin with U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had arrived from Moscow. He announced the “largest prisoner exchange” and said Europe would take part in the next round of talks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Dublin on Thursday evening with U.S. President’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who had flown to Ireland immediately after talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the summit of the European Political Community.

“Europe will be on the negotiating team at the next meeting. It will have a voice. This is important for us. In the future, we will be members of the EU,” Zelensky told journalists after the meeting.

In the video, Zelensky speaks to journalists alongside Kushner and Witkoff about Europe’s participation in the next round of talks.

“The largest prisoner exchange”

Zelensky also confirmed an agreement on an exchange: “We will exchange prisoners of war. This will be the largest prisoner exchange. Our soldiers will return home.” Earlier, Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the initiative for the largest-scale exchange had been supported during talks at the Kremlin and that its parameters were being coordinated.

Kushner said the deal could not be completed without European participation. “We told Putin that we consider this very important,” he said.

In this video, Kushner explains why, in Washington’s view, Europeans should be at the negotiating table.

Video: social media