U.S. facilitating direct engagement between Europe and Russia

Kushner and Steve Witkoff held separate meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this past week as the Trump administration pushes to end the more than 4½-year conflict. The meetings followed the first round of U.S.-brokered talks between the two countries since February, which concluded on Wednesday with an announcement of plans for a new prisoner exchange and further talks, but nothing suggesting a wider peace deal.

New Security Framework

Kushner stated that the U.S. focus is now on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing for the next round of trilateral talks. "Several new ideas emerged from these discussions and are now being explored. Some may lead to breakthroughs directly, while others may evolve into new proposals that help bridge the remaining gaps," he said in a social media post.

Zelenskyy's Concerns

Zelenskyy expressed concerns about a new security framework for Europe that the U.S. had raised, warning that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape the continent's borders. "In my view, this can be dangerous," he told reporters. "This should not be the main agenda." He said the U.S. had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO, which he reiterated would not happen.

European Security

European leaders have stressed that decisions about the continent's security must be made by Europeans themselves, warning against allowing Russia to dictate the terms of a new security order. Zelenskyy said Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive security package with its partners that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the EU, a strong Ukrainian military, and financial support for a specified period, along with a recovery plan.

He rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country's constitution. "If Putin expects Ukraine's neutrality to be enshrined, that's not going to happen," he said. "We're not in NATO right now anyway." Zelenskyy emphasized that any security arrangement would not involve recognizing occupied territories as Russian.

Kushner's Vision

Kushner stated that a lasting peace in Ukraine requires security guarantees for Kyiv and "detailed, actionable postwar security arrangements that reduce the risk of another war." He emphasized that NATO will remain a critical pillar of European security, enhanced by stronger mechanisms for military, communication, deconfliction, and reciprocal de-escalation.

President Trump is set to meet with Putin next week as part of a trilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, though officials said he is not expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine during these meetings.