Zelensky announces the participation of the Europeans in the upcoming negotiations regarding Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Thursday evening that the Europeans will attend the upcoming negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia, following his meeting with American envoys in Dublin.

In turn, US presidential envoy Jared Kushner stressed that “we cannot conclude this agreement” between Moscow and Kiev “without the presence of the Europeans at the negotiating table.”

He added in statements to reporters alongside Zelensky at an air base in Ireland: “I believe we are able to achieve this with President Vladimir Putin,” whom he met with the other American envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow earlier Thursday.

Europeans have long demanded their inclusion in any negotiations to settle their continent's bloodiest conflict since World War II. However, until now, they have remained excluded in light of Moscow's refusal to attend.

But the announcement also increases pressure on the Europeans, who have been facing difficulty for months in agreeing on the name of a unified representative in these negotiations.

The Dublin meeting comes within the framework of the intense diplomatic activity witnessed this week, dedicated to the war in Ukraine.

Before Moscow, Kushner and Witkov co-sponsored two days of Russian-Ukrainian talks in Abu Dhabi in search of a way to end the conflict.

During their reception in the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin stressed that he would not back down from his maximum demands, proposing at the same time a truce in a city located on the battle front.

Moscow is pushing to expand the scope of talks on the war in Ukraine to include discussion of security arrangements in Europe in general.

But Kiev and European leaders warned against reaching a new “Yalta,” in reference to the agreement that followed World War II and divided the continent into spheres of influence, and stressed the need for the talks to focus first on ending the war in Ukraine.

Upon his arrival in Dublin on Wednesday to participate in a European summit, Zelensky spoke of a “good chance” to achieve a “result” before 2027.

However, Putin stuck to his demands related to controlling parts of Ukraine that Russia had declared annexed, and ruled out agreeing to the deployment of foreign peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

Although such meetings are usually held behind closed doors, the Kremlin chose to broadcast a lengthy portion of the opening dialogue between Putin and the American envoys on television.

Putin rejected proposals to establish buffer or demilitarized zones between Russian and Ukrainian sites, saying: “For us, there is only one dividing line, which is the state border. Because then it will be clear and clear: “We are here and you are there.”

He also renewed his opposition to the deployment of foreign forces in Ukraine after the end of the war, stressing that Moscow would consider them a “legitimate target,” and that their deployment would mean “the continuation of the war.”

The Russian army has controlled large areas of eastern and southern Ukraine since launching its comprehensive attack in 2022, in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, and lands that were under the control of pro-Russian separatists.

Moscow officially announced the annexation of four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhya, although it does not control them completely.

Kyiv and the West reject the annexations as illegal and not recognized by the international community.

The Russian army's advance will slow down through 2026.

Putin proposed organizing a “humanitarian mission” in the city of Kostyantinivka, which is witnessing battles in eastern Ukraine, and which Moscow announced control of in July.

“There are still about 400 to 500 civilians” in the city, he said, suggesting “repeat what we did” in Oleshki, which is under Russian control.

The proposal is based on a short-term truce that last month allowed hundreds of stranded and hungry residents to leave the Russian-controlled city of Oleshki in southern Ukraine.

But Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, said it was "clear what they want in Kostyantinivka."

He added: “In Oleshki, they brought in equipment and exchanged forces under the guise of a humanitarian operation.”

Meanwhile, overnight Russian strikes hit a residential building in Kiev, killing one person.

Zelensky said Thursday that the Ukrainian army faces new “systematic” restrictions on the “Starshield” satellite Internet service, which is run by SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, and plays a major role in communications on the front lines.

In St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown, a car bomb explosion killed a Russian soldier, in the latest episode of a series of operations suspected of being assassinations of military figures inside Russia.

The large-scale Russian attack in Ukraine since February 2022 has led to the destruction of the country and the deaths of hundreds of thousands on both sides, making it the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Officially, the positions of the two sides are still very far apart, as Moscow in particular demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire Donetsk region, while Kiev refuses to withdraw from this fortified region.

Ukraine demands security guarantees strong enough to deter Moscow from attacking it again.

German police announced Thursday evening the launch of a major security mission and the evacuation of the synagogue in the city of Gießen in the state of Hesse following the discovery of a suspicious letter containing “anti-Semitic statements and threats.”

The police explained that when the letter was opened this afternoon, a powder that has not yet been identified came out. The police lifted the extensive security cordon around the synagogue in the late afternoon; However, the synagogue remained closed until further notice, according to a police spokeswoman.

There were 26 people inside the synagogue at the time of the accident, and they were taken out as a precaution. Police believe that four people were in the immediate vicinity of the letter when it was opened. They were examined by the ambulance service, but they were all allowed to leave the accident site, as there was no need for them to receive medical treatment.

The criminal investigation office of the police in the state of Hessen investigated the incident. The branch’s statement said: “A forensic and technical examination of the powder is currently being conducted to determine the nature of its substance and whether it poses a danger.” The statement added that investigations are also underway to uncover the precise circumstances of the incident.

Hesse State Interior Minister, Roman Buzek, said that the police are dealing with the case at a rapid pace, noting that the incident represents another horrific example of attacks targeting “Jewish life.” Buzek, who belongs to the Christian Democratic Party of Chancellor Friedrich Merez, added: “This is shameful,” stressing: “We will continue to do everything in our power to effectively protect our Jewish life.”

The police confirmed that there was no threat to the general public. In addition to the forces of the Central Hesse Police Presidency, members of the professional fire brigades and the rescue service participated in dealing with the incident.

Hesse State Prime Minister Boris Rehn described the threat targeting the Jewish community and its synagogue as “unbearable.” The Christian party politician said: “Anyone who directs hatred and threats to the Jews in our country will be punished with the utmost severity.” "It is good that our police moved quickly."

For his part, the mayor of the city of Gießen, Frank Thilo Becher, described the incident as a “despicable” act of threat, and said: “We strongly condemn this heinous anti-Semitic act, and declare our full solidarity with the Jewish community.” He added that what happened reflects “pure anti-Semitic hatred,” stressing that the city will confront it with all its might.