Following talks with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Dublin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced preparations for the largest prisoner-of-war exchange. The sides also discussed Europe’s full participation in the next round of peace talks aimed at ending the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the announcement during a press conference at a military airbase in Ireland.
“The biggest result is the return of prisoners. This will be the largest exchange. Second, a major success for the American side concerns the Europeans — next time, Europeans will be at the negotiating table,” Zelenskyy said.
The president noted that, according to Witkoff and Kushner, the upcoming prisoner-of-war exchange would be the largest. He emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers would return home and thanked everyone involved in the negotiation process.
Zelenskyy also gave a positive assessment of the previous talks in Abu Dhabi. According to him, an important achievement was the resumption of the trilateral negotiation format involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
Jared Kushner said that Vladimir Putin had agreed to the participation of European representatives in negotiations aimed at ending the war.
“We cannot conclude this deal without the Europeans being at the table. We’ve been telling Putin that we believe that’s very important. People would like to see this war end. This is what we’re hearing from people,” Kushner said.
Kushner also commented on the prospects for Ukraine’s postwar recovery.
“The potential of Ukraine is incredible. The postwar plans that we’re working on are really incredible,” the US negotiator said.
Zelenskyy clarified that European representatives would be full participants in the next meeting, rather than taking part only in separate consultations.
“They will have a voice. This is important for us because the war is taking place in Europe,” the president emphasized.
According to him, the presence of European partners at the negotiating table is necessary to discuss security guarantees and Ukraine’s future.
Zelenskyy also said that the sides would work to organize the next meeting of the negotiating teams in the near future.
