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Russia, Ukraine, US begin talks in Abu Dhabi on peace deal amid rising tension
The sides remain divided over territorial control, Ukraine’s military and NATO ambitions, and whether a ceasefire should precede a broader peace deal.
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Senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the US will convene in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday as part of Washington's bid to broker peace talks to end the ongoing conflict. Ahead of the trilateral, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism regarding the talks, as military attacks continue between Moscow and Kyiv.
As the Russia-Ukraine war approaches its five-year mark, the 2-day session in the UAE marks the first round of talks between Russia and Ukraine since February, when the two sides met in Geneva.
Both Russia and Ukraine are sending veteran negotiators to the talks, selecting high-ranking officials with prior experience in peace summits.
Deep Dive
The Russian delegation is being led by a close aide to Putin, who has directed Moscow's negotiating team since the March 2022 Istanbul talks. The group also features Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, Military Intelligence Chief Igor Kostyukov, and Yuri Zhigarlovsky, the deputy chief of the General Staff's operational department.
The Ukrainian delegation is being headed by Rustem Umerov, the chief of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and a veteran of earlier negotiations. Reports indicate the team also includes Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov, his deputy Sergiy Kyslytsya, and Davyd Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of Zelenskyy's Servant of the People party.
Key issues at hand
A key area of disagreement between Russia and Ukraine is territorial control. Russian President Vladimir Putin demands that Ukraine surrender 4 annexed regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – the four regions that Moscow illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured.
He also demands that Ukraine abandon its bid to join NATO, accept strict limits on its military and drop restrictions on the Russian language and the Moscow-affiliated Orthodox Church in Ukraine.
Putin insists on a complete peace deal based strictly on Russia’s terms and refuses a temporary ceasefire, adding that a pause would only allow Ukrainian troops to rest and restock their arsenal.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected demands to cede occupied territories or restrict the Ukrainian military. Ukraine insists that a ceasefire is the first step towards wider peace settlements. It says that a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is the only way to settle territorial issues.
Tensions escalate over fresh attacks
Despite diplomatic efforts, military hostilities between the two countries continued on Tuesday. A Ukrainian drone attack disrupted power supplies to the city of Luhansk and other parts of the Russian-controlled region, TASS reported, quoting Russian-installed authorities.
Simultaneously, Russia's defence ministry said its forces had struck a cargo vessel and a tanker in the Black Sea, Interfax reported. Another cargo vessel was also hit east of the port of Odesa, according to the report.
Trump ‘optimistic’ about Russia-Ukraine talks
US President Donald Trump has expressed optimism over the trilateral talks, saying both countries are ‘tired of fighting’.
“The meetings are going okay, but we are trying to get it settled only because it doesn't affect us as a country, but it affects me. 25,000 people a month are being killed,” Trump said while addressing a press conference.
Trump’s son-in-law and member of the US delegation, Jared Kushner, said on X on Monday that a "comprehensive and lasting settlement will also require direct engagement between Russia and our European partners on the broader security arrangements that affect them." The discussions in Abu Dhabi will set the stage for "that engagement to begin in the near future, as part of a broader multilateral process," he added.
(With inputs from agencies)
