Europe faces a potential reshaping of its security architecture as the United States facilitates direct diplomatic engagement between Moscow and European capitals to explore a peace deal for Ukraine.
According to a CBS News report on Saturday, President Trump’s son-in-law and special envoy Jared Kushner said that Washington is helping coordinate direct talks between Russia and European nations as they work toward a Ukrainian peace settlement.
During the past week, Steve Witkoff and Kushner conducted separate discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin while the administration pushes to conclude the conflict that has stretched on for upwards of four and a half years.
Following our trilateral meetings and subsequent discussions with Presidents Putin and @ZelenskyyUa, @SEPeaceMissions and I have remained in close consultation with Russia, Ukraine, and our European partners on next steps. Our focus now is on facilitating direct engagement… pic.twitter.com/uRzYjo2nws
The meetings followed the first round of U.S.-brokered talks between the two countries since February, which concluded on Wednesday with plans for a new prisoner exchange and further negotiations.
“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.
Several new ideas emerged from these discussions and are now being explored, Kushner added, noting that some proposals might lead directly to breakthroughs while others evolve to bridge remaining gaps.
Zelenskyy told reporters on Friday that the U.S. had raised the possibility of a new security framework for Europe, though his comments were embargoed until Saturday.
“In my view, this can be dangerous,” Zelenskyy told reporters, referring to the new security framework. This should not be the main agenda, he said, warning that Moscow could use such discussions to weaken NATO and reshape the continent’s borders.
Zelenskyy said that Washington had inquired for the first time whether Kyiv would cede control of portions of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that remain outside Russian occupation as a condition of joining NATO. He reiterated that Kyiv would not surrender its territory.
Moscow is interested in reopening broader questions about European security rather than focusing exclusively on ending the war, according to Zelenskyy. Putin’s desire to change borders in Europe is a fact, and he is sure this forms part of a wider revision of security guarantees across the continent.
European authorities have emphasized that choices regarding continental security must remain in European hands, cautioning against permitting Moscow to dictate a fresh security framework or negotiate the future of NATO.
Discussions are underway between Kyiv and its allies regarding a broad security package that could encompass distinct commitments from the European Union and NATO, alongside robust military backing, a recovery blueprint, and financial assistance guaranteed for a set timeframe.
Zelenskyy said that once allies and American partners formally verify these terms to Ukraine, he will consult the public to determine whether the nation supports acceptance or rejection.
Zelenskyy also rejected neutrality for Ukraine, noting that such a move would require changing the country’s constitution.
If Putin expects Ukraine’s neutrality to be enshrined, that’s not going to happen, he said. We’re not in NATO right now anyway.
Kushner remarked on Saturday that achieving a lasting peace requires providing Kyiv with security guarantees alongside concrete, enforceable postwar defensive plans that minimize the likelihood of future conflict.
Kushner said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will stay a fundamental pillar of security in Europe, bolstered by improved frameworks for deconfliction, military coordination, mutual de-escalation, and communication, alongside effective methods to resolve disputes prior to escalation.
Zelenskyy cautioned that expanding European security talks could provide an opening for Putin to push for alterations to NATO force deployments, which might involve pulling out U.S. troops.
He said that Putin had raised similar ideas with then-Joe Biden in 2021, seeking a redistribution of power in Europe and the world.
I think Putin will bring up Finland and Sweden, Zelenskyy said. “I’m sure he will raise the issue of Hungary and the presence of American troops in the Baltic countries.”
He further maintained that any modifications to European security structures should be determined exclusively by European NATO members once hostilities cease.
He outlined the necessary progression as an initial ceasefire, followed by the conclusion of the war in Ukraine and subsequent security assurances for the nation. There can be no security guarantees in Europe, or for Europe, without Ukraine.
Mr. Trump is set to meet with Putin next week as part of a trilateral summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He is not expected to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, officials said.
