Abu Dhabi talks restart Ukraine peace bid
Negotiators met Tuesday to discuss security guarantees, though frontline fighting continued with heavy drone strikes on both sides.
By Vanessa Lopez ·
Three-way negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States opened Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. The two-day session marks the first direct meeting since February. Participants are focusing on security guarantees for Ukraine, according to the White House.
Russian President Vladimir Putin views the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a primary threat. Ukraine seeks binding commitments to prevent future invasions. The gap between these positions remains the central obstacle to a settlement.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated on social media that he and envoy Steve Witkoff are pursuing a negotiated solution. He described the goal as creating a sovereign and secure Ukraine within a stable European security environment. The U.S. team met separately with Ukrainian, European, and NATO envoys before the main session began.
Vladimir Medinsky leads the Russian delegation. He told reporters that the team has become larger and more professional. Medinsky expressed hope that the talks would advance the path toward peace for both populations. Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, led the Ukrainian side. He confirmed that the day started with a joint meeting involving representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, and the European Commission.
Putin demands that Ukraine withdraw troops from four regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Moscow annexed these areas in September 2022 but never fully controlled them. He also requires Ukraine to drop its bid to join NATO and accept strict military limits. Furthermore, he wants the removal of restrictions on the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects voluntary territorial cessions. He argues that Ukraine should not give up land it has not lost on the battlefield. Kyiv also opposes limits on its military capabilities or its partnerships with Western allies. Ukraine views an immediate ceasefire as the necessary first step. Zelenskyy, who was visiting Denmark on Tuesday, says a direct meeting between the two leaders is required to settle territorial disputes.
Both sides maintained their aerial attacks during the negotiations. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile overnight. Russia's Ministry of Defense stated that its forces shot down 155 Ukrainian drones above eight regions and the Crimean Peninsula. The front line remains largely deadlocked across a 1,200-kilometer stretch.
Trump declared last week that a grand deal regarding European security is in the works. He described it as a big agreement that will involve more than Ukraine. Kushner said the Abu Dhabi discussions will set the stage for broader multilateral engagement in the near future. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow welcomes the proposal to place collective security on the agenda.
The delegations include senior officials from previous rounds. The Russian team features deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yuri Zhigarlovsky. The Ukrainian side includes Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, deputy chief of staff Sergiy Kyslytsya, and parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamia.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. Prior to the attack, Moscow demanded that NATO roll back deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Analysts and humanitarian organizations say the war has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians. Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's power grid as winter approaches, while Ukraine has escalated drone strikes on Russian oil refineries.
