US Envoys Meet Putin in Moscow After Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, following Ukrainian-Russian discussions that concluded Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, Russian news agencies reported. The envoys were greeted at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport by Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of the Russian president, according to Interfax. After Moscow, they are scheduled to travel to Dublin on Thursday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said upon arriving in Ireland that a "window of opportunity" for a ceasefire could exist by 2027. Zelensky expressed skepticism but noted "there is hope," while welcoming a "change in tone" from the US regarding European participation in talks. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the Abu Dhabi negotiations showed the US, Ukraine, and Europe are "fully aligned and united." The two days of direct talks, the first in over eight months, yielded agreement on another large-scale prisoner exchange but disagreement over Europe's role, with parties reporting progress despite few concrete results.