Russia, Ukraine and the US resume trilateral war talks in Abu Dhabi
Russia, Ukraine and the United States resume trilateral war talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, months after US-mediated meetings in January and February produced no deal and after Ukrainian and Russian envoys last sat down in February. The core deadlock is unchanged: Kyiv still insists on security guarantees, which Moscow rejects. US special envoy Steve Witkoff, joined by Jared Kushner, a special envoy and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, said the agenda would cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also listed an energy ceasefire, unblocking the Black Sea, extended prisoner exchanges and preparations for a leaders’ meeting of Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
The Kremlin’s chief negotiator is Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by high-ranking military and intelligence officials. Ukraine’s side is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, with lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia and diplomatic and military officials. Arakhamia told DW he does not expect a breakthrough after the long pause, but called the mere resumption of trilateral talks a success.
Separate sessions are planned with European officials, including Günter Sautter, adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; Emmanuel Bonne of the Élysée; the UK’s Jonathan Powell; Italy’s Fabrizio Saggio; the European Commission’s Björn Seibert; and NATO’s Geoffrey van Leeuwen. Hanna Shelest of Ukrainian Prism said Europeans would play an observing role at best, arguing Russia prefers to frame talks as a matter between Moscow and Washington. She warned that Medinsky’s presence often signals willingness to talk without agreement, and that Moscow may be stalling, while noting intelligence officers in the Russian team as a somewhat positive sign for possible talks on prisoner swaps or humanitarian pauses near Oleshky in occupied Kherson, where Melania Trump was credited with a late-October truce that allowed aid and civilian evacuations. Trump last week, after speaking with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, spoke of a “big beautiful agreement” that might involve all of Europe; Kushner described a framework of permanent security consultations, crisis communications, military transparency and reciprocal steps to reduce escalation.
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