President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky expects that US representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will return from negotiations with Vladimir Putin with concrete proposals to end the war. The American delegation is heading to Moscow with initiatives that were discussed during the trilateral meeting of Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
Zelensky said this on the evening of November 11 at a joint press conference with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in Dublin. The press conference broadcast was published on YouTube.
According to the Ukrainian president, on November 12 Witkoff and Kushner are to hold negotiations with Russian leadership, and then arrive in Dublin to meet with him.
Zelensky emphasized that the American representatives are going to Putin not with general statements, but with concrete initiatives that were discussed during two days of consultations in the United Arab Emirates.
The Ukrainian side expects that after the talks in Moscow, the American delegation will present concrete results and explain Russia's position on key issues of the peace settlement.
Among these issues, Zelensky named the exchange of prisoners of war, security guarantees, the possibility of halting strikes on energy infrastructure, and organizing a trilateral meeting at the level of heads of state.
The president paid special attention to the humanitarian agreements reached in Abu Dhabi.
According to Zelensky, the parties discussed the possibility of exchanging prisoners of war according to the "1000 for 1000" formula. At the same time, the number of exchange participants could be increased to about 1,200 people on each side.
The president positively assessed this prospect and noted that he sees no reason why Russia should refuse the exchange. However, he acknowledged that the final decision of the Russian side is not yet known.
The second important direction of the negotiations is security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky reported that the consultation participants considered several possible formats for providing them.
Kyiv insists that future agreements should not only ensure the cessation of hostilities, but also create conditions that would not allow Russia to resume aggression.
Another topic was a possible energy ceasefire. Ukraine is interested in halting strikes on energy infrastructure, and American mediators are to determine Moscow's readiness for such arrangements.
In addition, the possibility of organizing talks at the level of the presidents of Ukraine, the US, and Russia is being discussed. Zelensky expects that after Witkoff and Kushner's meeting with Putin, it will become clearer how ready the Russian side is for such a format.
The president separately focused on the participation of European states in the further negotiation process. According to him, an understanding was reached on the necessity of Europe's presence at the negotiating table.
Zelensky noted a change in the position of the American side. He said that US representatives now perceive much more positively the idea of direct participation of European partners in discussing the terms of ending the war.
Ukraine, the president emphasized, consistently advocates for Europe's participation in the diplomatic process, since future agreements will directly affect the security of the entire European continent.
Speaking about the prospects for achieving peace agreements, Zelensky suggested that the American negotiating team is interested in obtaining a concrete result before the end of 2026.
In his assessment, further development of the diplomatic process will largely depend on the format and content of the upcoming talks between US representatives and Putin.
The president also emphasized that he does not yet know exactly in what format the American delegation's meeting with Russia's leadership will take place and what answer Moscow will give to the discussed proposals.
Zelensky believes that the American negotiators truly seek to achieve a result this year. However, this remains his assessment of Washington's intentions, not an agreed timeline for ending the war.
The two-day negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and Russia took place in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. As a result of the talks, the parties reached a fundamental agreement on preparing a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war.
However, significant disagreements remain over the terms for ending the war. No ceasefire agreement was concluded as a result of the meeting.
After negotiations with Putin, Witkoff and Kushner are to meet with Zelensky in Dublin to discuss the answers received from the Russian side, align further positions of Kyiv and Washington, and determine the next steps in the diplomatic process.
