Ukraine and Russia Talks in Abu Dhabi, Digi Mart USA News (Abu Dhabi): Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine began their talks under US mediation in Abu Dhabi, according to footage from the news agency AFP. Representatives of Kyiv, Moscow and Washington met on Tuesday for their first session.
The delegations sat across from each other and began their discussions in the presence of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The talks, planned for two days, are the first direct exchange between Kyiv and Moscow since February.
US President Donald Trump said last week that he had announced a “very large” agreement with Russia that could affect not only Ukraine but “all of Europe.” This has fueled fears among Europeans that Washington and Moscow could reach arrangements on European security over their heads.
According to an insider from the Russian delegation, the meeting between the United States, Ukraine and Russia will focus on developing mechanisms to counter threats and strengthen regional stability. The insider said that while the Ukraine settlement is a crucial question, it is only one aspect of a broader discussion subordinate to the main goal of creating a comprehensive and indivisible security architecture for the entire continent, as quoted by Reuters.
According to a report by Politico, a partner publication of WELT, US negotiators Kushner and Witkoff are pressing Russia to include Europe in the next round of Ukraine negotiations. At the three-way talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, they reportedly intend to push for a direct European role in future negotiations.
Politico cited anonymous American government officials.
Shortly before the three-way talks, the Ukrainian delegation in Abu Dhabi held a separate meeting with its European allies and the two US envoys. According to Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov, representatives of Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the EU and NATO took part.
Ahead of the talks with Russia, the United States, Ukraine and European partners reaffirmed their joint position. Any future agreement must respect sovereignty, territorial integrity and independent decision-making and provide credible security guarantees for Ukraine, according to a statement on the meeting.
The goal is broader multilateral negotiations including Europe. A strong NATO remains central to joint transatlantic defense.
Politico reported that Günter Sautter, foreign and security policy adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, traveled to Abu Dhabi. Sautter represents Germany in the so-called E3 format with France and the United Kingdom and coordinates Germany’s led “Berlin Format,” through which Ukraine, European states, NATO, the EU and partners such as Canada align positions on peace talks and support for Kyiv.
Merz had highlighted Sautter’s role last week, saying his adviser now devotes a significant part of his work to diplomatic efforts to end the war, according to Politico. Sautter holds that discussion of a future European security architecture should begin only once Russia has agreed to a ceasefire.
Jared Kushner, son-in-law and adviser to President Trump, had said last week that the negotiations would address a “new European security architecture.” According to Politico, this triggered concern in Europe about possible concessions to Russia. Russian representatives reportedly use the term in connection with a reduced NATO presence on the eastern flank and restrictions on Ukrainian armed forces.
Other senior European representatives are also taking part. The United Kingdom is sending national security adviser Jonathan Powell, who Politico says has a particularly close relationship with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Geoffrey van Leeuwen, chief of staff to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, is representing NATO. The EU is represented by Björn Seibert, chief of staff to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“We will coordinate our positions and align the next steps before the next negotiating phase,” Umerov said. Afterward, negotiations in a trilateral format between representatives of Ukraine and Russia, mediated by the United States, are to take place for the first time since February.
However, Europeans are not expected to sit at the table for these main negotiations. Two senior representatives familiar with the planned format told Politico that European participation in the main talks is not foreseen.
A German representative told the outlet, however, that the format would be determined “in the course of the talks.” The Kremlin has reportedly opposed direct European participation.
Ukraine has been defending itself for more than four and a half years, with Western support, against Russia’s war of aggression. Previous US-mediated negotiations have not produced a breakthrough, though both sides have repeatedly agreed on humanitarian measures, including exchanges of prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
