Negotiations in Abu Dhabi to end the war in Ukraine have begun

It was just a casual remark, but it set alarm bells ringing in European capitals. In the Oval Office last week, US President Donald Trump announced: "There will be an agreement, a big agreement, and it will be about more than Ukraine. I could even say that it will perhaps be about all of Europe. A big, beautiful agreement, and everyone will be thrilled."

What exactly did the president mean? Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner explained on There are “decades of mistrust” and “conflicting security concerns.”

According to Kushner, this initiative builds on existing institutions and commitments. It's not about replacing NATO. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called these ideas "dangerous" in an interview with CNN - and he particularly objected to the order in which the Americans are proceeding.

"I think we have to talk first about how the war - Russia against Ukraine - will end. Secondly, we have to talk about the security infrastructure, the security guarantees for Ukraine," said Zelensky. “Based on this, the parties can then talk about a security infrastructure for the EU and Russia.”

The fact that Europe needs a new, different security architecture has been an important demand of the Kremlin for years. Thomas Graham believes the American approach makes sense. Graham is a Russia expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank in New York:

Endless list of demands from the Kremlin?

Kurt Volker sees it differently. He served as US special envoy to Ukraine during Trump's first term. On CNN he says: A common security architecture for Europe already existed - until Russia blew it up by attacking Ukraine. In addition, the Kremlin's list of demands is endless. "The Russians want a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO. They want a veto over Ukraine's security - and a change of power in Kiev," says Volker.

"They want restrictions on where NATO can station troops. And they want to reverse NATO expansions of the past." Kushner was apparently repeating what the Russians had whispered to him.

Trump speaks of war fatigue

The Europeans were briefed on the state of affairs by US diplomats last week. US President Trump declared on Monday that Russia and Ukraine were both tired of fighting. "We also see a very strong willingness to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. We are involved in that," Trump told reporters at the White House.