The key facts
- Kushner sees the model for future negotiations in the Russia–NATO Council, which suspended its work in 2014
- The US identifies five directions for the future security architecture, including consultations and military transparency
- Washington's European allies insist first on a ceasefire, and only then on discussing relations with Russia
The Russia–NATO Council as a model
Jared Kushner, special envoy of US President Donald Trump, proposes taking the Russia–NATO Council mechanism as the basis for negotiations on European security. This was reported by The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, citing an official familiar with the course of the negotiations; the same model is also cited by Gazeta.Ru with reference to Ignatius's column. According to the journalist, the US administration intends to organize a multilateral dialogue between Moscow and European states in order to develop long-term security rules for the continent.
What the Council was and what is being proposed now
The Russia–NATO Council was created in 2002 for consultations on security issues and practical cooperation. In 2014, the alliance suspended joint civilian and military activities with Moscow, although political dialogue continued for some time; the last meeting took place in January 2022. According to Life.ru, Kushner proposes returning to a similar format that operated before the sharp deterioration of relations between the parties. Earlier, following consultations in Brussels, he outlined five key directions for future agreements: permanent consultations, reliable communication channels in crisis situations, increased military transparency, mutual measures to reduce the risk of escalation, and the formation of a sustainable European security system. According to him, the agreements must take into account the interests of all participants, preserve the sovereignty of states, their territorial integrity, and the right to independently choose military alliances.
Disagreements over the sequence of steps
As Ignatius notes, the American side expects to discuss in parallel the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine and broader agreements on European security. Washington's European allies insist on a different sequence: first a ceasefire, and only then discussion of new relations with Russia. Similar concerns are voiced by sources cited by the Financial Times, which Gazeta.Ru references: according to them, such decisions should be made by the European Union itself, and in Europe there are fears that Washington and Moscow will agree on terms that would 'undermine NATO's position and restore a Russian sphere of influence.' After Trump's meeting with the Russian leader's special representative Kirill Dmitriev on November 5, Kushner wrote on the social network X that Washington had held 'productive and substantive' talks with Ukraine, NATO, and European representatives, noting that a sustainable security system in the region has not been achieved for more than 30 years.
The next stage — talks in Abu Dhabi
The next stage of diplomatic efforts will be trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, scheduled for November 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. According to information from the Kremlin cited by Life.ru, the meeting will be held behind closed doors and will be devoted to mutual security guarantees; the Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, with the United States acting as mediator between Moscow and Kyiv. Thus, the idea of returning to a format similar to the Russia–NATO Council remains at the discussion stage on the American side: only the talks plan itself and the directions outlined by Kushner are confirmed, whereas the consent of Moscow, Kyiv, and the Europeans to such a model is not documented in the publications.
