U.S. Envoy Launches Three-Day Talks on Ukraine Ceasefire in Abu Dhabi
Delegates from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington convened Tuesday to negotiate security guarantees, marking the first trilateral session since February.
By Arjun Weber ·
Negotiations aimed at halting the Russia-Ukraine war commenced Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, bringing together representatives from Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington. The two-day session is the first trilateral meeting of its kind since February. Participants plan to focus on security guarantees, a central point of contention as Ukraine seeks protection against future incursions and Russia views the NATO alliance as a primary threat.
The war, which began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, has claimed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians, according to analysts and humanitarian groups. Fighting continues despite the talks, with both sides reporting new long-range strikes. Ukraine’s air force stated that Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile at the country overnight. In response, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its forces shot down 155 Ukrainian drones above eight Russian regions and the Crimean Peninsula.
The current round follows three previous negotiations earlier this year that produced no breakthroughs. The delegations include senior officials who have participated in prior discussions. Vladimir Medinsky, a close aide to President Vladimir Putin, leads the Russian team. He is joined by deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yuri Zhigarlovsky. Medinsky described the Russian delegation as larger and more professional, expressing hope that the meeting would advance peace for both nations.
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, leads the Ukrainian delegation. He noted that the day began with a meeting involving U.S. envoys and representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, and the European Commission. The Ukrainian team also includes Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff; Sergiy Kyslytsya, his deputy; and Davyd Arakhamia, a parliamentary faction leader. Umerov and other Ukrainian officials aim to establish an immediate ceasefire as a prerequisite for broader settlements.
The parties remain divided on core issues. President Vladimir Putin demands that Ukraine withdraw troops from the four regions Moscow annexed in September 2022, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. He also requires Ukraine to abandon its NATO bid and accept limits on its military size. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Denmark on Tuesday, rejects ceding territory that Russia has not captured on the battlefield. Zelenskyy insists on a direct meeting with Putin to resolve territorial disputes.
Jared Kushner, a U.S. envoy, stated on X that he and Steve Witkoff are working toward a negotiated solution for a sovereign and secure Ukraine. Kushner said the Abu Dhabi talks will prepare the ground for direct engagement between Russia and European partners on broader security arrangements. President Donald Trump described this potential outcome as a big agreement involving more than Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the inclusion of collective security on the agenda, noting that Moscow had previously demanded NATO roll back its deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
Before the trilateral session, Kushner and Witkoff met separately with envoys from Ukraine, the European Union, NATO, and several European nations to coordinate on postwar security. Russia has objected to European involvement in the initial three-way talks but allowed EU representatives to join later stages. The ground war has shifted into an attrition conflict along a 1,200-kilometer front line, while both sides continue to target each other's energy infrastructure with drones and missiles.
