Trilateral Ukraine peace talks resume in Abu Dhabi as US officials cite some flexibility
US officials say Moscow and Kyiv are privately showing a little flexibility on who would control Ukraine's eastern regions after the war. The first trilateral talks since February are taking place in Abu Dhabi.
Senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are meeting in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, for the first trilateral talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine since February. The meeting comes as the fifth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches. On the eve of the talks, a US official said Moscow and Kyiv were privately showing "a little bit of flexibility" on who would control Ukraine's eastern regions after the war.
Disagreement over Donetsk
The publicly stated positions remain far apart. Russia already occupies most of the Donetsk region. Moscow demands that Ukraine give up the parts it still holds, while Kyiv wants to freeze the contact line, saying those areas are crucial to its future security. According to the US official, the territorial question cannot be settled until the postwar security architecture is clear.
The proposed framework includes security consultations, crisis communication hotlines and reciprocal de-escalation measures. Officials also floated reviving the Nato-Russia Council, which has been largely paused since 2022.
The European role
Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law, is part of the US delegation alongside peace envoy Steve Witkoff. He said the talks would address both sides' postwar security concerns, and cautioned they could at most build momentum toward the next phase of negotiations.
European leaders, who have been largely excluded from the talks, are pushing to be involved. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged that Nato allies and EU members be included in discussions on Europe's security. The US official said Washington would propose a multilateral format, while acknowledging that the Russians have a bad taste in their mouth with the Europeans.
Delegations and scepticism
Moscow's delegation includes Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, spy chief Igor Kostyukov and army general Yury Zhigarlovsky. Kyiv is represented by Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and MP Davyd Arakhamiya.
Oleksandr Merezhko, head of Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told the BBC he believes Trump wants a quick deal at Ukraine's expense, which Kyiv would reject. The previous round of trilateral talks, held in Geneva in February, ended without a breakthrough.
