US envoys to seek new Russian security draft from Putin in Moscow
Kushner and Witkoff will ask Moscow to outline reciprocal steps to ease tensions as part of a wider Ukraine peace effort.
By Chioma Brooks ·
The United States is asking Russia to draft a new security agreement with Europe that details Moscow’s demands and the specific measures it will take to lower tensions. Axios reported the request on Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. The proposal is a component of current efforts to finalize a broader agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are scheduled to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on November 12 to deliver that request directly. A US official stated that the envoys also intend to seek Putin’s approval for European representatives to join the next round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia has long sought a European security arrangement that limits NATO expansion and reduces the alliance’s military footprint in Eastern Europe. Washington previously rejected those demands but now appears open to considering versions of them within a wider settlement. Many European governments remain wary of the US administration’s approach to these negotiations.
The security arrangement was a central topic in recent discussions in Abu Dhabi. Two sources said Russian negotiators argued that Putin invaded Ukraine because then-US President Joe Biden failed to respond to a 2021 letter outlining Moscow’s security concerns. Russian officials presented this failure to respond as their primary explanation for the invasion.
Kushner and Witkoff responded to that account by noting that circumstances had changed since 2021. They asked Moscow to produce a fresh draft addressing its concerns while identifying reciprocal steps to reduce the conflict. The goal is to reassure European countries that Russia will not attack them in the future. The envoys also told Russian negotiators that substantive security discussions require European participation in future peace talks.
Moscow has resisted including Europeans in negotiations with Ukraine up to now. Washington hopes their involvement will make European governments more receptive to completing a security agreement before the war ends. One source said security guarantees are essential to a settlement for both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Putin. Washington assured European countries it would not accept a deal without European and Ukrainian involvement or grant Moscow veto power over European security decisions.
Objections to the proposal have already emerged. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul rejected calls for a new European security architecture as a method to end the war. On November 7, Zelenskyy warned the Trump administration that its plan could be dangerous because Russia showed no signs of wanting to end the conflict. European capitals expressed concern that the vaguely defined initiative could leave them sidelined in the process.
