--- title: "Zelenskyy: US elections opened a window for talks with Russia — Kyiv urged Europe to choose a representative by November" description: "Zelenskyy stated that the US elections opened a window for talks with Russia and urged Europe to choose its representative as early as November. Kushner spoke about preparations for the exchange of about 1,200 prisoners." date: 2026-11-12T01:00:32.549Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelenskyy-us-elections-opened-talks-window tags: [ukraine, russia, peace-talks, zelensky, europe, prisoner-exchange] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Zelenskyy: US elections opened a window for talks with Russia — Kyiv urged Europe to choose a representative by November ![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a dark jacket walks purposefully outdoors amid greenery](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/zelensky-vybory-ssha-otkryli-okno-peregovorov-rossiya/zelensky-vybory-ssha-otkryli-okno-peregovorov-rossiya-1.webp) ## Key Points - Zelenskyy stated that political changes in the US after the midterm elections opened a window of opportunity for negotiations with Russia. - Kyiv urged European allies to elect their representative for the negotiations as early as November. - Kushner spoke about preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange; Zelenskyy cited a figure of about 1,200 people. - According to Ushakov, Witkoff and Kushner will meet with Putin on November 12, followed by a meeting with Zelenskyy in Dublin. In Dublin, on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that political changes in the US following the midterm elections and in other countries are opening a "window of opportunity" for negotiations with Russia. At the same time, the US President's son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke about preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange, which, according to Zelenskyy, could involve about 1,200 people. ### Window of Opportunity The statement came a week after the US midterm elections, in which Democrats won a majority in Congress. According to Zelenskyy, Washington is increasingly receptive to Europe's participation in negotiations. He stressed that all participants in the peace process aim to achieve results before 2027, as the political landscape in Europe may change next year. In his estimation, if all parties join the negotiations, progress could emerge as early as the beginning of 2027. ### Europe as an Equal Zelenskyy urged European allies to finally elect their representative for the negotiations. "We want Europe not to be on the margins, not on the sidelines of meetings. We want it to participate on an equal footing next time, because that is absolutely fair," he stated. "We need to choose who will represent Europe. We need to choose specific European leaders. We need to do this in November," the president emphasized in Dublin. Until now, European countries have failed to agree on who will speak on their behalf. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in a letter to European Council President António Costa, warned that the lack of coordination among Europeans plays into the hands of those interested in prolonging the war. ### Prisoner Exchange Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner spoke about preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange. According to him, the most difficult part of the negotiations remains territorial issues, but the parties are discussing a substantial exchange. Zelenskyy clarified that it could encompass about 1,200 prisoners. ### Contacts in Dublin Following negotiations in Abu Dhabi, Trump's envoys are continuing contacts with the parties. According to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with Vladimir Putin in the first half of the day on November 12, after which Zelenskyy will be waiting for them in Dublin. The Ukrainian president's meeting with the American envoys took place on Wednesday in Dublin, where he also met with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin ahead of the European Political Community summit, which will bring together more than 50 leaders from Europe and other regions of the world. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Выборы в США открыли окно для переговоров с Россией, - Зеленский](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vibori-ssha-vidkrili-vikno-peregovoriv-rosieyu-1794444997.html) - Primary source: Zelenskyy's statements about the window of opportunity, Europe's participation, the exchange of ~1,200 prisoners, and the meeting of Witkoff/Kushner with Putin on November 12. - [Зеленский заявил о возможности переговоров с Россией после политических изменений в США](https://my.ua/news/cluster/2026-11-11-zelenskii-zaiavil-o-vozmozhnosti-peregovorov-s-rossiei-posle-politicheskikh-izmenenii-v-ssha) - Confirms the Dublin context, the meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland, the EPC summit on November 12, and contacts with Witkoff and Kushner. ## FAQ ### What did Zelenskyy say about negotiations with Russia? He stated that political changes in the US following the midterm elections and in other countries are opening a "window of opportunity" for negotiations with Russia. ### How many prisoners could the exchange involve? According to Zelenskyy, about 1,200 people. ### When, according to Zelenskyy's estimate, could progress appear? In early 2027, if all parties join the negotiations. ### What did Zelenskyy urge European allies to do? To elect a specific representative for Europe in the negotiations as early as November.