Talks in Abu Dhabi have started. The first statements have already been made

Before the start of the main talks, the Ukrainian delegation met with representatives of, among others, European countries to agree on their positions before the next stages of the talks.

"We have started work in the United Arab Emirates. The first meeting will be held with representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission, joined by US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. We will agree on our positions and coordinate actions before the next stage of negotiations," wrote the chairman of the Ukrainian delegation, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, on website X.

Steve Witkoff said in a statement that representatives of the US, Ukraine and European partners recognized that addressing post-war security issues and reducing the risk of conflict is essential. "The discussion focused on how to use existing European institutions and security arrangements after the end of the war in Ukraine," Witkoff said in a statement cited by Reuters.

Europeans present on site

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Tuesday on Franceinfo radio that representatives of France, Germany and Great Britain will be in the meeting room in Abu Dhabi, where talks between Ukrainians, Russians and Americans will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.

German government spokesman Steffen Meyer said on Monday that the German Chancellor's adviser on foreign and security policy, Guenter Sautter, will represent Germany in Abu Dhabi. We are part of this process, said Meyer, without specifying what exactly the role of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's adviser will be.

Ukraine-Russia-USA negotiations

The Ukrainian delegation, apart from Rustem Umerov, includes: Kyrylo Budanov, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, Davyd Arachamiya - head of the parliamentary faction of the presidential Servant of the People party, Serhiy Kyslytsa - first deputy head of the President's Office, and Vadym Skibitsky - deputy head of Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR).

"Our main priorities are ending hostilities, providing credible post-war security guarantees, guaranteeing Ukraine's economic reconstruction and development, and advancing humanitarian efforts. We are working to achieve as much progress as possible on these issues and bring peace closer," Umerov said.

The meeting in Abu Dhabi scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday will be the first such event since February 2026. The Russian delegation is led by one of Vladimir Putin's closest advisers, Vladimir Medinsky, who is considered one of the Kremlin's leading ideologists.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS News that an agreement to end the war in Ukraine is close and that the country will have a slightly changed shape.

The US administration revealed that its representatives asked Russia for consent to provide Ukraine with security guarantees in the form of Articles 4 and 5 of NATO (Article 5 is an alliance clause stipulating that an attack on one of the organization's countries means an attack on all countries and assumes an armed response - ed.), and the Alliance itself would provide similar guarantees.