Russia-Ukraine peace talks Abu Dhabi post-war security, Digi Mart USA News (Abu Dhabi): Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the US, aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, have concluded after a second day. Although the American side said they saw “some openings”, there was no hint of any breakthrough to end the nearly five-year war sparked by Russia’s invasion.
Both Moscow and Kyiv confirmed that a large-scale prisoner of war exchange was in the works and could be carried out soon. Davyd Arakhamia, from Ukraine’s negotiating team, said this round, the first since February, “was one of the hardest”, but he felt “good momentum” and urged a second round to be organised as soon as possible.
Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky was less conciliatory, saying that “a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the US, and on whether Europe comes to its senses”. The talks had been framed around the “security architecture” of Europe.
For Kyiv, this may include assurances that allies will come to its aid if Ukraine is attacked again, despite not being a Nato member.
For Moscow, a reworked security framework is likely to limit Nato’s influence in eastern Europe, a central Kremlin concern since the alliance’s eastward expansion. Medinsky said the world needed a “new” and “fair” security system, describing it as “a new Yalta and Potsdam”.
Representatives of Britain, Nato and various EU countries were also in Abu Dhabi and met US and Ukrainian negotiators, but the Kremlin said its delegation had not had contact with them. A German government spokesperson said on Wednesday that agreements cannot be implemented “if no consensus can be reached among Nato members”.
After the talks, it was announced that on Thursday US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then to Dublin to speak with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Kushner said the US wanted to bring the Europeans on board and that getting them “added to the format” would be on the agenda.
Disagreement remains over whether a ceasefire should precede security talks, as Europeans and Kyiv want, or whether fighting stops only after an agreement, as the Kremlin insists. Kushner said any peacetime security framework depends on the war ending, which cannot occur “until there’s an agreement on territory and on all other bilateral issues”.
The contested region of Donetsk, mostly occupied by Russia, remains a core obstacle. Kyiv wants to freeze the contact line, while Moscow insists Ukraine relinquish the parts it still holds, with Medinsky saying “every inch” would be returned to Russia.
Kushner acknowledged territory remained the hardest issue and said there is currently “no trust” between the sides.
Later, Ukrainian negotiator Kyrylo Budanov admitted the talks had been “tough” and that Ukraine’s priority was ensuring Russia could not attack it again. Zelensky has described the first day of talks as constructive.
