US Presidential Special Envoy Jared Kushner has spoken about a potential personal meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin. According to RBC-Ukraine, he made the statement during a press conference following negotiations in Abu Dhabi. "It would be good if they met at any time," Kushner said, adding that the Russian side states there is a need to see more progress before such a meeting becomes possible. Thus, the American negotiator effectively framed a meeting of the two leaders as one of the target scenarios for settlement, but emphasized that it is not the immediate next step.
"Not a lot of trust" between leaders
Commenting on the conditions under which a direct meeting is possible, Kushner noted that there is "not a lot of trust" between Zelensky and Putin. According to him, if the American side finds a way to organize such a contact, it will take time: "These deals take time, these are complex deals." Kushner emphasized that currently, "all the various components of a deal" are being worked through, which must be "put together and create the right structure and timing" to form a peace agreement. At the same time, he emphasized that final decisions can only be made by the leaders of the countries themselves, not by negotiators.
Russia demands progress before meeting
A key condition attributed by the US special envoy to the Russian side is the demand to see more progress in the settlement before organizing a meeting. The phrasing "the Russians say they would like to see more progress before that happens" indicates that Moscow views direct contact between the presidents not as a starting point, but as the final stage of preliminary diplomatic work. This is consistent with the general logic of the negotiation track, where technical and political "deal components" are built first, and only then is the high-level format discussed.
Different scenarios for the meeting location
The question of where the two leaders might meet remains open and effectively divides the parties' positions. Previously, Volodymyr Zelensky stated he was ready to hold a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin, specifically in Turkey. The Kremlin, in turn, stated that Zelensky could come to Moscow to meet with Putin, where he would be "guaranteed all conditions, including in terms of security." Thus, the Ukrainian side is looking toward a neutral venue, while the Russian side is pushing for the contact to take place on its territory, and these scenarios do not yet align.
Context of diplomatic efforts
Kushner's statement came against the backdrop of an active series of international contacts regarding a Ukrainian settlement. Previously, Norwegian authorities reported on negotiations in Oslo, involving US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and a meeting was also planned between Volodymyr Zelensky and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. According to the Norwegian side, Ukrainian authorities themselves requested the participation of American representatives in these discussions. Separately, media reported that Kushner did not attend part of the negotiations in Oslo, which underscores the high workload on the American negotiation track and its distribution across multiple venues.
What's next
The outcome of Kushner's statement boils down to the fact that a meeting between Zelensky and Putin is seen as a desirable but distant scenario, depending on developing the "right structure" for a peace agreement and achieving preliminary progress. According to the US special envoy, it is the leaders who will be able to make the final decisions, while negotiators are currently busy assembling individual elements of the settlement. Thus, in the coming weeks, the focus will likely remain on technical and diplomatic tracks rather than on organizing a direct contact between the two presidents.
