The United States has asked Russia to put forward a fresh proposal for a security agreement with Europe, including measures to ease military tensions and address European concerns, as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, Axios reported on Wednesday, November 11.
Two sources familiar with the matter told Axios that US President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, raised the proposal during talks involving Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi this week. The US wants Moscow to outline its security demands while also suggesting reciprocal steps to reassure European countries that it does not intend to attack them.
The development comes as Washington attempts to negotiate a broader European security arrangement alongside a potential peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
According to Axios, Kushner and Witkoff are scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to reiterate the proposal. They also want Putin to agree to European representatives participating in the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations. The US envoys are then expected to travel to Dublin to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
US wants Europe involved in Russia-Ukraine negotiations
The proposal for a new European security framework was a key focus of the Abu Dhabi discussions, which began on Tuesday with US, Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
{{/usCountry}}The proposal for a new European security framework was a key focus of the Abu Dhabi discussions, which began on Tuesday with US, Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
{{/usCountry}}The meetings marked the first time Russian and Ukrainian officials had held talks with US mediators present since February, when negotiations were suspended amid the war involving Iran, Axios reported.
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During the discussions, Russian negotiators argued that Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine because then-US President Joe Biden had failed to respond to a 2021 letter outlining Moscow's security concerns.
In response, Kushner and Witkoff told Russian representatives that circumstances had changed significantly since 2021. They asked Moscow to submit a fresh proposal addressing its concerns while outlining measures it would be willing to take to reduce tensions.
"We told the Russians, they have their desires and fears, but they have to provide different de-escalation and different proposals as well, if they want Europe to be able to receive those proposals in a good way," Kushner said after the talks.
Russia has so far resisted European participation in the negotiations. Russian presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky criticised several European governments, accusing them of contributing to the war.
European countries remain cautious about security deal
The Trump administration wants to negotiate the Russia-Europe security framework and a Ukraine peace agreement simultaneously. However, implementation of any broader security arrangement would follow an agreement to end the war, according to a source familiar with the White House's position.
The US has also told European governments that it would not agree to a security arrangement without their approval or Ukraine's consent, Axios reported.
European diplomats remain sceptical about the proposal. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said discussions about a new security architecture involving Russia should take place only after the war in Ukraine ends.