Putin Agrees To Let European Representatives Join Ukraine Peace Talks

Explained

Several Indian outlets reported developments in the Ukraine peace effort over 12 and 13 November. The coverage comes from a small set of reports, so the picture below is partial.

What happened

According to CNN, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, arrived in Moscow on Thursday ahead of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. NDTV reported that Witkoff told reporters after the talks that Putin had agreed to let European representatives take part in the next round of negotiations, which NDTV described as a breakthrough. DD India reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Witkoff and Kushner in Ireland and announced a major prisoner exchange, along with a larger role for Europe in the peace talks.

Why it matters

The reports point to a wider group of participants in the talks. Under NDTV's account, European governments would gain a seat at the negotiating table, which had not been the case before. DD India's report of Zelenskyy's remarks frames the same shift as a greater European role. Times of India linked the talks to market sentiment: it reported that oil prices fell by more than 1% as hopes grew for progress in both the Russia-Ukraine and Iran negotiations. Brent crude futures fell to $91.62 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate to $85.49, according to that report, which also cited higher output from OPEC+ and rising US crude stocks as factors.

What we don't know yet

The reports do not say how large the prisoner exchange will be, or when it will take place. NDTV's account of Putin's agreement comes from Witkoff's description to reporters; the reports reviewed here do not include a direct statement from the Russian side. They also do not name which European representatives would take part, or give a date for the next round of talks. A DD India archive page on the Abu Dhabi Ukraine talks was among the material reviewed, but it contained no details of those meetings, so this explainer does not draw on it. Because the reports are brief and come from different outlets, the details may change as more reporting emerges.

Written by the 91News.in desk with AI assistance, based on reports from NDTV, DD India, Times of India, CNN. Updated 13 Nov 2026, 2:06 pm. Spotted an error? Tell us.