Original Coverage & Source Attribution: ua.news
Jared Kushner, Special Representative and son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, links the achievement of a ceasefire in Ukraine to broader negotiations between Russia and European countries regarding post-war security on the continent. According to his plan, the NATO-Russia Council model could serve as the basis for such a dialogue. At the same time, European officials emphasize that a ceasefire in Ukraine must first be agreed upon.
According to the journalist, Kushner has linked his efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine with a call for broader multilateral negotiations between Russia and Europe on post-war security on the continent.
As an official familiar with the negotiations explained, Kushner’s model is the NATO-Russia Council. It was established after the end of the Cold War, but the body’s activities were suspended in 2014 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.
European officials told a reporter on Friday that they are ready for dialogue with Russia. However, they agree to discuss new security arrangements only after a ceasefire is reached in Ukraine.
“Both tracks are moving forward,” wrote an official from a country that is a close ally of the U.S. in a message. At the same time, he cautioned that “a peace agreement on Ukraine must be concluded before an agreement on the security architecture is reached.”
A high-ranking representative from another key European country also explained his country’s position:
“This approach carries significant risks for us, but it’s better to participate than to sit on the sidelines. Our position remains unchanged: these issues can only be discussed after the war ends. … The negotiations will not be easy.”
According to the official, although leading European leaders support Kushner’s efforts, there is “broad consensus” in Europe that any negotiations between European countries and Russia should take place only after a ceasefire has been concluded.
As David Ignatius notes, the key issue in this situation will be the sequence of diplomatic steps.
“Kushner wants the process to proceed simultaneously—so that, so to speak, both trains arrive at the same time. Europe, which supports Ukraine, insists that the issue of a ceasefire come first,” the columnist writes.
According to the journalist, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded positively to the idea of a pan-European security plan during a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on October 21 in St. Petersburg. Jared Kushner joined this conversation via videoconference.
In addition, on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Putin’s envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, at the White House. After the talks, the American leader stated that he was close to concluding a “big, beautiful deal” that would encompass Ukraine and “all of Europe.”
However, David Ignatius considers such statements premature given the stance of European officials.
“This is extremely premature, given what I heard from European officials on Friday,” added the Washington Post columnist.
This is reported by The Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, citing his own sources.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on extensive consultations with U.S. special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following which he announced preparations for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia as early as next week.
Jared Kushner stated that U.S. negotiations with Ukraine, NATO, and European partners in Brussels regarding security guarantees for Kyiv were productive and substantive.
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