On a Saturday in mid-November, the American envoy Jared Kushner stepped forward to say that Washington was no longer trying to carry every thread of the Ukrainian war itself, but was instead clearing a path for Moscow and Europe to speak to one another directly. It is a small shift in posture with large implications, arriving in a conflict now nearly five years old, where the question of who gets to shape the continent's future security is as contested as the battlefield. Ukraine's president answered with suspicion, warning that any new European security arrangement could become the means by w
U.S. Brokers Direct Europe-Russia Engagement as Kushner Prepares Next Trilateral Round on Ukraine
There can be no security guarantees in Europe without Ukraine.
Mark
Kushner says the U.S. wants to bring Europe and Moscow into direct contact. Why is that a notable shift?
Mimi
Until now the format has been U.S.-brokered talks with Russia and Ukraine. Kushner is describing a step toward Moscow and European partners speaking directly, with trilateral talks still being prepared.
Mark
Zelenskyy doesn't sound reassured.
Mimi
He worries the conversation widens from ending the war to rewriting Europe's security order. He says Putin wants to change borders and could push on NATO's troop presence, including American troops.
Luke
Worth noting those are Zelenskyy's predictions. He said he thinks Putin will raise Finland, Sweden, Hungary and the Baltics. Nothing in the reporting shows Russia has put those on the table.
Mark
What about the question on eastern Ukraine?
Mimi
He says the U.S. asked for the first time whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of the east that Russia doesn't control if it joined NATO. He said Kyiv won't give up territory.
Luke
That is his account of a U.S. question. The U.S. statement doesn't mention it, so we only have one side's description.
Mark
And what did the week actually produce?
Mimi
A planned prisoner exchange and further talks. Nothing pointing to a wider deal.
Luke
Kushner's "new ideas" are unspecified. He says some may lead to breakthroughs, but we don't know what they are.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
Trump meets Putin next week alongside Xi, though officials say Ukraine isn't expected to come up.
The Pulse
- Washington is stepping back from being the sole broker, handing a direct channel between Moscow and European capitals to the center of the table.
- Kyiv sees a trap in the new framework, fearing that talk of European security will quietly reopen territorial questions it refuses to concede.
- Zelenskyy is pressing for a sequence of ceasefire, then war's end, then binding guarantees, and insists no European settlement can happen without Ukraine.
- Trump's meeting with Putin is expected to leave Ukraine off the agenda, so the real test is whether European leaders secure a direct seat before the next trilateral round is set.
On a Saturday in mid-November, the American envoy Jared Kushner stepped forward to say that Washington was no longer trying to carry every thread of the Ukrainian war itself, but was instead clearing a path for Moscow and Europe to speak to one another directly. It is a small shift in posture with large implications, arriving in a conflict now nearly five years old, where the question of who gets to shape the continent's future security is as contested as the battlefield. Ukraine's president answered with suspicion, warning that any new European security arrangement could become the means by which Russia reopens old borders and loosens NATO's grip on the east.
On Saturday, Jared Kushner, the special envoy and son-in-law of President Trump, posted a statement laying out a shift in American diplomacy on Ukraine. Washington, he wrote, would now focus on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners, and on preparing the agenda for the next trilateral round. The post followed a week of meetings with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held after the first U.S.-brokered talks since February produced a prisoner exchange but no wider peace.
Kushner said several new ideas were being explored, some that might produce breakthroughs and others that could bridge remaining gaps. He insisted that lasting peace requires security guarantees for Kyiv and practical postwar arrangements, with NATO still central to European security, strengthened by better military communication and de-escalation mechanisms.
Zelenskyy's response was far more guarded. He called the idea of a new European security framework dangerous and said it should not become the main agenda. He feared Moscow could use such talks to weaken NATO and redraw the continent's borders, recalling that Putin raised similar ideas with Joe Biden in 2021. He also said Washington had, for the first time, asked whether Ukraine would withdraw from eastern territory Russia does not control if Kyiv joined NATO, an idea he rejected outright, along with neutrality that would require changing the constitution.
What Ukraine wants instead is a comprehensive security package with specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong army, financial support, and a recovery plan, with any deal refusing to recognize occupied land as Russian. European leaders have echoed the view that Europe's security must be decided by Europeans. Next week Trump meets Putin, though Ukraine is not expected to be on the agenda, and the question to watch is whether European leaders win a direct seat at the table.
On Saturday, Jared Kushner, President Trump's special envoy and son-in-law, posted a statement on social media laying out where American diplomacy on Ukraine now stands. The U.S., he wrote, is turning its attention to facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners, and to preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks.
The post followed a week of meetings. Kushner and Steve Witkoff held sessions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Trump administration pushes to end a conflict now more than four and a half years old. Those meetings came after the first round of U.S.-brokered talks between the two countries since February. That round produced an announcement of plans for a new prisoner exchange and further talks, but nothing to suggest a wider peace deal.
Kushner said several new ideas had emerged and were being explored. Some, he wrote, may lead to breakthroughs directly, while others may evolve into proposals that help bridge the remaining gaps. He said a lasting peace requires security guarantees for Kyiv and detailed, actionable postwar security arrangements that reduce the risk of another war. NATO, he added, will remain a critical pillar of European security, strengthened by better mechanisms for military communication, deconfliction and reciprocal de-escalation. He said any final agreement must be accepted by the relevant parties, and that Trump will support only arrangements that strengthen the security of Ukraine and Europe.
Zelenskyy's account, given to reporters on Friday and released Saturday after an embargo, was more wary. He said the U.S. had raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe, and he called that dangerous. It should not, he said, be the main agenda. His concern is that Moscow could use such talks to weaken NATO and reshape the continent's borders. He said Putin's desire to change borders in Europe is a fact, and that it is part of a push to revise security guarantees across the continent. Things like this, he said, are what lead to wars or escalations.
He also said the U.S. had asked, for the first time, whether Ukraine would withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine that Russia does not control if Kyiv were admitted to NATO. He repeated that Kyiv will not surrender its territory. He rejected Ukrainian neutrality as well, noting it would require changing the constitution. If Putin expects neutrality to be enshrined, he said, that will not happen, and he pointed out that Ukraine is not in NATO right now anyway.
Zelenskyy warned that a broader conversation could let Putin press for changes to NATO's military presence, including the withdrawal of American troops. He said Putin raised similar ideas with then-President Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and the world. He predicted Putin would bring up Finland and Sweden, Hungary, and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries.
What Ukraine wants instead, he said, is a comprehensive security package with its partners. It could include specific guarantees from NATO and the European Union, a strong Ukrainian military, financial support for a set period, and a recovery plan. If the American side confirms that, together with other NATO partners, he said he would ask Ukrainian society whether to accept it. Any arrangement, he stressed, would not recognize occupied territories as Russian. On sequencing he was firm: a ceasefire, an end to the war, then security guarantees for Ukraine, with any changes to Europe's arrangements decided only by European NATO members after the war ends. There can be no security guarantees in Europe, he said, without Ukraine.
European leaders have taken a similar line, saying decisions about the continent's security must be made by Europeans and warning against letting Russia dictate a new security order or negotiate NATO's future.
Next week, Trump is set to meet Putin as part of a gathering with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Officials say he is not expected to discuss the war in Ukraine. The thing to watch is whether European leaders gain a direct seat at the table.
Notable Quotes
Our focus is now on facilitating direct engagement between Moscow and European partners and preparing the agenda for the next round of trilateral talks.— Jared Kushner, social media post
In my view, this can be dangerous. This should not be the main agenda.— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on a new European security framework
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