For the first time after a break of more than eight months, Russia and Ukraine are negotiating directly again under US mediation - this time in Abu Dhabi. EU representatives are also there - but for now only as spectators.
Abu Dhabi. For the first time since February, representatives of Ukraine and Russia are negotiating directly with each other under US mediation about ending the war of aggression started by Moscow. The talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi until Wednesday will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine, but also for Russia and the entire region, as those involved said.
The goal is to achieve lasting peace, said Ukrainian negotiator and foreign intelligence chief Rustem Umjerov. Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said an end to the war was needed in the interests of the Ukrainian and Russian people. The chances of success of the talks are unclear.
As before the eight-month break in negotiations, the USA will be represented by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kushner said the tension was high. Many of the ideas now available were discussed by the USA together with the Europeans and Ukrainians.
Kushner also pointed out that Washington had had good talks with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in recent months. Zelensky said that Ukraine and its partners are ready to work constructively “on de-escalation steps, developing effective security guarantees and moving towards real peace.”
US General Alexus Grynkewich, who was at the opening table as a military expert and not as a NATO general, spoke of great successes that had already been achieved in the trilateral format in the past. Work is being done to create the foundations for lasting peace.
At the initiative of the USA, the negotiations are about the cornerstones of a regional security structure, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow this morning. These security guarantees for Ukraine and Russia should come into force after a “full and comprehensive settlement” of the conflict. Russia hopes that the USA is determined enough to balance the interests of each side.
Before the start of the three-way talks, the Western allies met with the Ukrainian negotiating team in Abu Dhabi. The meeting was attended by representatives from Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission. “Our main priorities are the cessation of hostilities, reliable post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and development of Ukraine, and humanitarian measures,” Umyerov said.
With Western help, Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian war of aggression for more than four and a half years. Negotiations conducted so far under US mediation have failed to produce a breakthrough. However, the warring parties have already been able to agree on humanitarian actions on several occasions, including the exchange of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
European states are not directly at the table in the three-way talks. In a statement published in Abu Dhabi, US special envoy Witkoff and the EU reaffirmed their commitment to a strong European security architecture and corresponding agreements for the period after the war. It was emphasized that a strong NATO would continue to play a central role in the collective defense of the Euro-Atlantic area.
For Ukraine, any future agreements must provide for credible security guarantees and respect the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and freedom of choice. The common goal is to work towards more comprehensive multilateral talks with the participation of European partners and to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace.
There was no further information on the details of the US mediation strategy. The statement simply said that it discussed how to ensure effective mechanisms to manage risks and prevent dangerous escalations. The focus was therefore on how existing European security institutions and agreements could be built upon after the end of the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainians, Russians and US representatives have already met several times for talks. However, the talks reached an impasse in the winter and were then suspended for a long time because the US negotiators Witkoff and Kushner were involved in the negotiations on the Iran war.
Above all, the territorial question remains controversial: Moscow lays claim to the entire Donetsk region, of which it only controls around 80 percent. Kiev categorically rejects a voluntary withdrawal from the part it still controls and thus the fortress-like cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. The front in the war of attrition is now considered to be completely deadlocked.
The Russians and Ukrainians had recently tried to increase the pressure before the negotiations with mutual attacks on energy infrastructure. Ukraine in particular is struggling with power outages and problems with water and heat supplies before the onset of winter.
