The United States is facilitating direct engagement between Russia and Europe amid a push to secure a peace deal in the
, President Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, said on Saturday.
asserted
envoy → facilitate → Saturday
Kushner and Steve Witkoff held
with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this past week as the Trump administration pushes to end the more than 4 ½-year conflict.
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administration → hold → conflict
The meetings came after the first round of U.S.-brokered talks between the two countries since February with an announcement of plans for a new prisoner exchange and further talks, but nothing to suggest a wider peace deal.
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meetings → come → deal
"Our focus is now on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks," Kushner said in a social media post on Saturday.
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Kushner → facilitate → Saturday
"Several new ideas emerged from these discussions and are now being explored.
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ideas → emerge → discussions
Some may lead to breakthroughs directly, while others may evolve into new proposals that help bridge the remaining gaps."
uncertain
that → lead → gaps
Zelenskyy, in statements released Saturday, said the U.S. had raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe, though he warned that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken
and reshape the continent's borders.
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Moscow → release → borders
"In my view, this can be dangerous," Zelenskyy told reporters Friday, referring to the new security framework.
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Zelenskyy → tell → framework
His comments were embargoed until Saturday.
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comments → embargo → Saturday
Zelenskyy said the U.S. had asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the
in eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO.
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Kyiv → say → NATO
He reiterated that Kyiv would not surrender its territory.
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Kyiv → reiterate → territory
He also said he believed Moscow was interested in reopening broader questions about European security rather than focusing exclusively on ending the war.
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Moscow → say → war
"Putin's desire to change borders in Europe is a fact.
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desire → change → Europe
I am sure this is part of his concept of revising security guarantees in Europe," he said.
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he → revise → Europe
"This is dangerous because, in my view, it is precisely things like this that lead to wars or escalations."
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that → lead → wars
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 or negotiate NATO's future.
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Russia → stress → future
Ukraine is discussing a comprehensive security package with its partners that could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military and financial support for a specified period, he said.
uncertain
he → discuss → period
It would also include a recovery plan, he said.
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he → include → plan
"If the American side confirms precisely this to us, together with other NATO partners, then I will ask our Ukrainian society what it thinks: Do we accept it or not?" Zelenskyy said.
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Zelenskyy → confirm → it
He stressed that any arrangement would not involve recognizing occupied territories as Russian.
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arrangement → stress → Russian
Zelenskyy also rejected the possibility of Ukraine committing to neutrality, saying that would require changing the country's constitution.
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that → reject → constitution
"If Putin expects Ukraine's neutrality to be enshrined, that's not going to happen," he said.
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he → expect → ?
Kushner said Saturday that a lasting peace in Ukraine requires security guarantees for Kyiv and "detailed, actionable postwar security arrangements that reduce the risk of another war."
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that → say → war
"NATO will remain a critical pillar of European security, enhanced by stronger mechanisms for military, communication, deconfliction, and reciprocal de-escalation, with practical ways to address disputes before they become crises," he added.
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he → remain → disputes
"This is why we are working to bring our European partners directly into these discussions.
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we → work → discussions
Any final agreement must be agreed to by the relevant parties, and President Trump will only support arrangements that strengthen Ukraine's and Europe's security and make future conflict less likely."
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conflict → agree → security
Zelenskyy warned that broader discussions about Europe's security could allow Putin to seek changes to NATO's military presence, including the withdrawal of American troops.
uncertain
Putin → warn → troops
He said Putin had raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and the world.
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Putin → say → Europe
"I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden.
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Putin → think → Finland
I'm sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries," Zelenskyy said.
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Zelenskyy → raise → countries
He said any changes to Europe's security arrangements must be decided by European NATO members only after the war ends.
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war → say → members
"The sequence should be as follows: a ceasefire, an end to the war in Ukraine, and security guarantees for Ukraine," he said.
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he → follow → Ukraine
Mr. Trump is set to meet with Putin next week as part of a
with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
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Trump → set → Jinping
He is not expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, officials said.
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officials → expect → Ukraine
The Aporia
