US envoys in Moscow for meeting with Putin following talks in Abu Dhabi
[November 12, 2026]
By HARRIET MORRIS
MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys arrived in Moscow on
Thursday for talks with President Vladimir Putin about the results of
U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law,
attended the two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the
United Arab Emirates. The talks wrapped up Wednesday with an agreement
on a large exchange of prisoners, but no visible breakthrough on ending
the nearly five-year hostilities.
After meeting with Putin, Kushner said that he and Witkoff will fly to
Dublin, Ireland, to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy gave a muted welcome to the outcome of the talks, saying that
the proposed prisoner exchange was a positive step. At the same time, he
insisted that Ukraine won't give in to demands that it cede its
territory that has been occupied by Russia in exchange for peace.
Hopes had been low for any significant breakthrough in the first meeting
in nine months between the delegations. From time to time, Russia and
Ukraine have swapped prisoners, but have remained far apart in their
demands for accepting a peace settlement.
Along with post-conflict security guarantees for both countries, other
key hurdles are the fate of Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory and what
role European countries will play in an eventual settlement.
Moscow doesn’t want European countries, which are concerned about
Russia’s conduct and broader intentions on the continent, involved in
the direct negotiations. Kushner said that one of the goals of the
Moscow meeting is to try to get Europeans added to the talks.
Kushner noted that both Ukraine and Russia needed clarity on
post-conflict security arrangements, and European countries, the
European Union and NATO have to be involved in those discussions to
build consensus on the next steps.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that European
representatives could eventually join peace talks.
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But Peskov said that their current statements “don’t indicate any
desire on their part to contribute to movement along the path toward
peace.” Moscow complains that Europe is financing and supplying
weaponry to Ukraine.
Ukraine wants to ensure that Moscow doesn’t attack again, and EU
officials say any discussions on Europe’s security arrangements
could only start after a ceasefire. Many in Europe see the inclusion
of Russia in those plans as a concession to Putin, who has described
NATO’s eastward expansion as a top security threat to his country.
Moscow has demanded that the alliance withdraw its troops from
Russia’s borders.
Fighting continues along the 1,200-kilometer (about 750-mile) front
line, where little territory has changed hands this year, while both
countries are battering each other with long-range missiles and
drones.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 71 Ukrainian
drones overnight.
The ministry declared that the military has struck a drone-making
plant in Kyiv and three other facilities producing missile fuel and
drone components in the area around the Ukrainian capital. It said
that other strikes hit power substations in Zhytomyr and a bulk
carrier heading to the Black Sea port of Odesa with cargo for the
Ukrainian armed forces.
A Russian military serviceman was killed in St. Petersburg early
Thursday when his vehicle exploded, according to Russia’s
Investigative Committee, the country’s main criminal investigation
agency. It didn’t name the victim or say who could be behind the
bombing. Fontanka news outlet said that the victim was a colonel and
an explosive device in his car went off as he drove off. Another
person accompanying him was wounded, it said.
Several senior officers have been killed by bombings and other
attacks that Russia has blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has claimed
responsibility for some attacks on Russian soil.
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