Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. Begin Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi

Three-way negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States begin Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The two-day session marks the first direct meeting between the parties since February. The primary focus of the discussions will be the structure of security guarantees for Ukraine.

Jared Kushner, a son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, stated on social media that he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff are working toward a negotiated solution. Kushner described the goal as a path to lasting peace that creates conditions for a sovereign and secure Ukraine within a stable European security environment.

The talks occur as the war nears its five-year mark. Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on key elements of a potential settlement. Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks a comprehensive peace deal based on specific conditions. He wants Ukraine to withdraw troops from four regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. Moscow annexed these areas in September 2022 but has not fully captured them.

Putin also demands that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO and accept strict limits on its military size. He further requests that Ukraine drop restrictions on the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church. Putin has stated he will not agree to a general halt in hostilities, arguing such a pause would only allow Ukrainian troops to rest and replenish weapons. He has warned that Russia will achieve its goals by force if Kyiv refuses these terms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects the demand to cede territory that Russia has not taken by force. Zelenskyy also opposes limits on Ukraine’s military or its arrangements with Western partners. Kyiv views these partnerships as essential security guarantees to prevent future invasions. Ukraine argues that an immediate ceasefire is the necessary first step toward a wider settlement. It also states that a direct meeting between the two presidents is the only way to resolve territorial issues.

Both delegations include senior officials who have attended previous rounds of talks. Vladimir Medinsky, a Putin aide, leads the Russian team. He has headed Moscow’s delegation since the initial talks in Istanbul in March 2022. The Russian group also includes deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yuri Zhigarlovsky, deputy chief of the General Staff’s operational department.

Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, leads the Ukrainian delegation. He also participated in earlier talks. The group reportedly includes Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, his deputy Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Davyd Arakhamia, the parliamentary faction leader of Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party.

U.S. officials indicate that the Abu Dhabi talks will set the stage for a broader multilateral process. Kushner said a comprehensive settlement requires direct engagement between Russia and European partners on security arrangements. He noted that these discussions are expected to begin in the near future. Before the main talks start, Kushner and Witkoff will meet separately with envoys from Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy. These meetings aim to continue consultations on European security and Ukraine’s postwar future.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the U.S. proposal to place collective security on the agenda. He said Moscow accepts the inclusion of this topic on President Trump’s request. The United States has described the ongoing efforts as a big agreement that will involve more than just Ukraine. While the U.S. pushes for a broader deal, ground battles continue along a 1,200-kilometer front line. Russia has intensified air strikes on Ukraine’s power grid, while Ukraine has escalated drone attacks on Russian oil refineries.