Three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States began Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, as Washington renewed efforts to end the war that started with Moscow’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
The two-day meeting, the first such session since February, will focus on security guarantees. Ukraine’s delegation head Rustem Umerov said discussions initially involved US envoys and representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission before moving to a trilateral format. Russia’s delegation, led by President Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, also arrived for the negotiations.
The two sides remain divided over key demands. Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, abandon its NATO ambitions and accept limits on its military.
Kyiv rejects territorial concessions and restrictions on its armed forces, insisting that an immediate ceasefire must precede wider negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for direct talks with Putin to resolve territorial issues.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner said they were working towards a negotiated settlement and broader European security arrangements.
The discussions are taking place amid continued drone and missile attacks.
Ukraine reported 162 Russian drones and a ballistic missile launched overnight, while Moscow said it intercepted 155 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and Crimea.
Previous rounds of negotiations earlier this year failed to produce a major breakthrough.
