Ukraine Warupdated 11m ago3 min read
Russia and Ukraine Begin U.S.-Mediated Trilateral Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi
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Russia, Ukraine and the United States launch trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi. US mediation aims to secure security guarantees and a path to end the conflict.
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Abu Dhabi Trilateral Start
Russia and Ukraine began trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi under U.S. mediation on Tuesday, with the first meeting of this kind since February. Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, confirmed the start of contacts and said, “the agenda includes key issues on a ceasefire and a move toward peace.” Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister, said before the trilateral talks that they would address “issues aimed at guaranteeing regional collective security,” as well as “guarantees to be applied once an overall and comprehensive agreement is reached.”
The talks followed a Ukrainian delegation’s meeting with representatives of the European Commission, NATO, the United States and several European countries to “compare positions and coordinate the steps to be followed before the next stage of negotiations,” according to Umerov. The U.S. delegation in Abu Dhabi was led by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and the Russian delegation was led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
Flexibility, Delegations, Disputes
Jared Kushner said the talks would focus on addressing the “postwar security concerns” of both Russia and Ukraine, and he wrote on X that “An important part of this process is encouraging all parties to begin thinking seriously about what comes after the war.” A U.S. official told the BBC that Moscow and Kyiv were privately showing “a little bit of flexibility” on the issue of who would control Ukraine’s eastern regions in a postwar scenario, while the BBC said the public positions remained far apart. Zelenskyy said in a nightly video address on Monday that “Ukrainian forces are currently genuinely strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position,” and he urged Washington to persuade the Kremlin to end the war.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the talks would focus on security guarantees and that “As for the presence of Europeans, you know that the Americans have their own channels of communication with Europeans, and Ukrainians with Europeans.” Marco Rubio struck a cautious note, saying the process to end the war still has “a ways to go,” as European officials sought involvement in any “meaningful discussions about Europe's security architecture.”
Security Architecture and Next Steps
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner told delegates that recent contacts with both sides had “really identified, narrowed the gaps,” and he said Trump was committed to achieving peace. Rustem Umerov said in opening remarks that Kyiv was focused on achieving security guarantees and a lasting peace, while Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow hoped for progress toward peace in the interest of “the peoples of both countries.” The talks were set against ongoing battlefield dynamics, with Ukraine’s air force saying Russia launched 162 drones of various types and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, and Russia’s Ministry of Defense saying its forces shot down 155 Ukrainian drones overnight above eight Russian regions and the Crimean Peninsula.
European officials sought a role, and POLITICO said Trump’s envoys would press Russia to let Europe join future negotiations, quoting a U.S. official saying, “We need Europe at the table.” The dispute over territory remained central, with the BBC describing Moscow’s demand that Ukraine relinquish parts of Donetsk it still holds and Kyiv’s position to freeze the contact line to maintain control over those sections it says are crucial to its future security.