U.S. envoys Kushner, Witkoff meet with Putin at Kremlin in talks to end Russia-Ukraine war
U.S. envoys fly from Russia to Ireland to brief Zelenskyy after speaking to Putin
U.S. President Donald Trump's envoys met on Thursday with President Vladimir Putin as Washington sought new momentum in peace efforts after two days of U.S.-mediated negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations.
asserted
Washington → meet → delegations
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, brokered the talks in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, the first direct discussions between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv in nine months as the push for peace stalled.
asserted
push → broker → peace
The two days of talks that ended on Wednesday produced no major breakthrough, aside from an agreement to swap a large number of prisoners, with the exact figure still to be announced.
asserted
figure → end → prisoners
Kushner and Witkoff met with Putin at the Kremlin and are scheduled to fly later to Dublin, Ireland, for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as Moscow's full-scale invasion nears the five-year mark.
asserted
invasion → meet → mark
Kushner said that one of the goals of the meeting with Putin was to get the Russian leader's blessing for European representatives to be part of the talks, which are looking at the continent's broader security arrangements.
asserted
which → say → arrangements
The U.S. and Zelenskyy want Europe to appoint a single person to negotiate with Moscow.
asserted
Europe → want → Moscow
But Moscow doesn't want European countries involved in the direct negotiations, complaining they are financing and supplying Ukraine's war effort.
asserted
they → want → effort
The Europeans are concerned about Russia's conduct and broader intentions on the continent, and whether the U.S. will be too accommodating to Kremlin demands.
asserted
U.S. → concern → demands
Putin again warns against European troops
asserted
Putin → warn → troops
Many in Europe see the inclusion of Moscow in discussions about postwar European security as an unwelcome concession to Putin, who has described NATO's eastward expansion as a main security threat to Russia.
asserted
who → see → Russia
Putin has demanded the transatlantic alliance's troops be pulled back from Russia's borders.
asserted
troops → demand → borders
Some analysts say negotiators may be looking to grant Russia concessions on NATO's strategy in return for peace in Ukraine — a possibility that alarms European leaders.
uncertain
that → say → leaders
Putin reaffirmed to the U.S. envoys Moscow's rejection of any European troop presence in Ukraine in a post-war scenario, saying that Russia sees them as a threat to its security and warns that they would be legitimate targets.
He also said Russia sees its border with Ukraine as the line of control — a reference to Moscow's claim over the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow annexed in 2022 but never fully captured.
uncertain
Moscow → reaffirm → 2022
Zelenskyy is in Dublin for a meeting of more than 40 European countries that also includes NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
asserted
that → include → Rutte
Rutte said the U.S., Europe and Ukraine are "very much aligned" on what security guarantees should look like, following a meeting in Paris in January.
"But now of course we need the peace deal, or at least a ceasefire," Rutte said.
asserted
Rutte → say → deal
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands next to French President Emmanuel Macron, centre, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as they pose for a photo along with other leaders at the European Political Community (EPC) Summit in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday.
asserted
they → stand → Thursday
Zelenskyy called the proposed prisoner exchange a positive step but also insisted Ukraine won't surrender Russian-occupied territory in return for peace.
asserted
Ukraine → call → peace
Russia and Ukraine have occasionally swapped prisoners, but both sides remain far apart in their terms for accepting a settlement.
asserted
sides → swap → settlement
Amid the negotiations, fighting continues along the 1,200-kilometre front line.
asserted
fighting → continue → line
Russia's bigger army has been held back by dogged Ukrainian resistance while Moscow's drone and missile strikes aim to deny civilians heat, electricity and running water, sapping public morale in what Kyiv calls a "weaponization of winter."
asserted
Kyiv → hold → winter
Zelenskyy says Starshield service disrupted again
Ukraine is experiencing another slowdown in the U.S. Starshield system — SpaceX's military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service — that the country needs to defend itself against Russian attacks, Zelenskyy said Thursday on social media.
asserted
Zelenskyy → say → media
Military units have recorded "significant disruptions," including speed restrictions limiting its drones to 161 kph, Zelenskyy said.
asserted
Zelenskyy → record → kph
He added that a military investigation established that the restrictions weren't random errors.
asserted
restrictions → add → ?
Ukraine uses Starlink and Starshield for intercepting Russian drones and launching its own mid- and long-range strikes.
asserted
Ukraine → use → strikes
Last month, limits on Ukrainian drone speeds severely disrupted operations and alarmed Kyiv officials who fear U.S. support could drop off.
uncertain
support → disrupt → officials
Firefighters work on Thursday at an apartment building in Kyiv that was damaged following a Russian drone strike.
asserted
that → work → strike
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that his company had throttled the Starlink internet service in Ukraine for about a week, saying the system couldn't be used for offensive strikes against Russia.
asserted
system → acknowledge → Russia
Zelenskyy said in Dublin that the speed limits cover operations in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine and that Kyiv is trying to find out from U.S. officials what is going on.
asserted
what → say → officials
"If someone in America is making decisions that basically treat Ukrainian territory as if it is not Ukrainian, then this tells us where things are going," he said.
asserted
he → make → us
Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences downed 71 Ukrainian drones overnight.
asserted
defences → say → drones
Its forces struck a drone-making plant in Kyiv and three other facilities producing missile fuel and drone components in the area around the Ukrainian capital, the ministry said.
asserted
ministry → strike → capital
Russia launched missiles and 123 drones, 73 of them jet-powered drones, at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said.
asserted
force → launch → Ukraine
Hits were recorded at 17 locations, it said.
asserted
it → record → locations
The Aporia
