The key facts

  • Zelensky met Kushner and Witkoff at Casement military airbase near Dublin on November 12
  • Earlier, Trump's envoys held talks with Putin in Moscow
  • Zelensky announced a forthcoming prisoner exchange, the largest since the start of the war

Meeting in Ireland After the Moscow Visit

On the evening of November 12, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with the special envoys of US President Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The talks took place at Casement military airbase in Baldonnel near Dublin, as reported by AFP and the Ukrainian online outlet Suspilne. According to AFP, the American negotiators planned to brief the Ukrainian leader on the outcome of the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin devoted to the peaceful settlement of the war in Ukraine. Trump's meeting with Putin took place in Moscow on the same day, November 12. European representatives did not take part in the talks between Zelensky and the American envoys, Suspilne reports.

Prisoner Exchange and Europe's Participation

After the meeting, Zelensky, Witkoff and Kushner spoke to journalists. Zelensky outlined the main outcomes of the American delegation's visit to Moscow. According to him, one of the important results was an agreement with Russia on a prisoner exchange, which is expected to be the largest since the start of the war. He also stated that the American side had 'made progress on the European issue as well': at the next meeting, European representatives will be included in the negotiating group and will have the right to voice their opinions. According to Suspilne, the talks in Moscow covered a humanitarian operation in Kostiantynivka, a prisoner exchange, and the deployment of a European military contingent in Ukraine.

Context of the Negotiation Process

The meeting in Ireland was a continuation of an active diplomatic week. On November 10–11, two-day talks between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia were held in Abu Dhabi with US mediation. The American envoys then traveled to Moscow to meet Putin, and afterwards to Ireland for the meeting with Zelensky. There, the Ukrainian leader also held talks with representatives of European states.