The United Arab Emirates hosted a two-day meeting between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, aimed at ending the nearly five-year conflict. This was the first such meeting since February. The White House stated that the discussions would focus on security guarantees. Russia views NATO as a threat, while Ukraine seeks to prevent future Russian invasions. The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of soldier casualties and thousands of civilian deaths.
The talks took place amid ongoing fighting, with both sides launching long-range strikes. Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight, according to Ukraine's air force. Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed that its forces shot down 155 Ukrainian drones over eight regions and the Crimean Peninsula. The two armies are largely deadlocked on the front line. A significant breakthrough is not expected, given the lack of progress in previous rounds of talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, stated that he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff are working on a negotiated solution for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation, led by Rustem Umerov, met with European and NATO officials before the talks. The Russian delegation, headed by Vladimir Medinsky, expressed hope that the meeting would advance the path towards peace.
The Russian and Ukrainian governments remain far apart on key elements of a prospective deal. Russian President Vladimir Putin demands that Ukraine pull its troops back from four annexed regions, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept strict limits on its military. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Putin's demands, citing the need for an immediate ceasefire and a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy to settle territorial issues.
The Russian and Ukrainian delegations include senior officials who have attended previous rounds of talks. Russia's chief negotiator is Medinsky, a Putin aide who has led Moscow's team since the first direct peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul in March 2022. The Ukrainian delegation also includes Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, and Davyd Arakhamia, the parliamentary faction leader of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party.
Last week, Trump mentioned that a grand deal about European security was in the works, describing it as a big agreement that would involve more than Ukraine. Kushner stated that a comprehensive and lasting settlement would require direct engagement between Russia and European partners on broader security arrangements. Moscow has praised the broad approach, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcoming the U.S. negotiators' proposal.
The discussions in Abu Dhabi will set the stage for broader multilateral engagement in the near future. Kushner said that before the start of the three-way talks, he and Witkoff would meet separately with envoys from Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy to continue close consultation and coordination on European security and Ukraine's postwar future.
Key points
- The talks focus on security guarantees, with Russia and Ukraine holding divergent demands.
- A significant breakthrough is not expected, given the lack of progress in previous rounds of talks.
- The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of soldier casualties and thousands of civilian deaths.
