Democrats accuse US envoys of weakening Ukraine

Washington: Three senior congressional Democrats have accused President Donald Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff of weakening Ukraine's negotiating position and undermining NATO, urging the President to reject concessions they said would benefit Russia.

In a joint statement issued Wednesday (local time), Representatives Gregory Meeks and Adam Smith, together with Senator Jack Reed, challenged the envoys' approach to territorial questions and wider European security arrangements.

Meeks is the senior Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Smith and Reed hold the corresponding positions on the House and Senate Armed Services committees.

The lawmakers alleged that the envoys were pressing Kyiv to surrender sovereign territory, including defensive positions that help prevent Russian forces from advancing westward. They also criticised discussions about reshaping European security and potentially reducing the Western military presence in Eastern Europe.

"Their parroting of Kremlin talking points on renegotiating European security and possibly pulling back from Eastern Europe is totally unacceptable to the continued viability of NATO and the national security of the United States," they said.

An official statement issued a day earlier following consultations involving the United States, Ukraine, European partners and NATO set out a different description of the diplomatic effort.

Published by the Council of the European Union, that statement said participants agreed that future arrangements must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent decision-making, while providing credible security guarantees for Ukraine.

It also said participants were clear that a strong NATO would remain central to collective defence across the Euro-Atlantic region.

The consultations in Abu Dhabi brought together representatives of the EU, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Ukraine, the United States and NATO ahead of trilateral discussions with Russia. Participants said they would continue coordinating throughout the negotiations and work towards broader talks involving European partners.

In their statement, Meeks, Smith and Reed alleged that Kushner and Witkoff had repeatedly bypassed or undercut the US intelligence community and State Department.

They argued that reducing pressure on Moscow while seeking concessions from Kyiv would not produce a durable settlement. They also said congressional support for Ukraine and NATO reflected American national interests.

The lawmakers called on Trump to intervene directly.

"The President should inform Kushner and Witkoff that surrendering in Ukraine and appeasing Putin will result in neither peace nor strength," they said.

Their statement challenged both the substance of possible concessions and the way the administration was conducting diplomacy.

Preparations for the talks included a November 4 telephone conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the two US envoys.

Ukraine said that the discussion covered the proposed trilateral format, air defence and bilateral cooperation. Zelensky thanked Washington for supporting Ukrainian independence and pursuing diplomatic efforts.

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