By Aldgra Fredly
Contributing Writer
Negotiators from the United States, Ukraine and Russia convened in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday for a new round of U.S.-brokered peace talks.
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, and the European Commission met separately in Abu Dhabi before U.S., Ukrainian and Russian officials began trilateral talks.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said participants discussed “how to build upon existing European security institutions and agreements” after the Ukraine war. He added that they also made clear NATO would remain central to Euro-Atlantic collective defense.
Witkoff said participants emphasized that any future arrangements aimed at ending the war must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and right to make independent decisions. They also stressed the need for “credible security guarantees” for Kyiv.
“The shared objective is to develop a practical and mutually reinforcing security framework that strengthens Ukraine’s long-term security and builds the confidence necessary to reach a negotiated settlement,” he said in a post on X.
The two-day session marked the first trilateral meeting of the United States, Ukraine and Russia since negotiations in Geneva ended without an agreement in February.
Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation, said on Tuesday that he hoped the meeting would bring progress toward peace in the interests of the Ukrainian and Russian people.
Umerov said Ukraine remains focused on ending hostilities, securing reliable post-war security guarantees, ensuring economic recovery and development, and advancing humanitarian efforts.
“We are working to make as much progress as possible on these issues and bring peace closer,” he said in a post on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in Denmark for talks with Nordic leaders, said on X that his delegation would propose de-escalation measures.
Zelenskyy also suggested that a trilateral meeting of leaders is needed to end the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that any trilateral talks aimed at ending the war must address security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine, along with the broader security of Europe.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region in the east, but Kyiv has rejected any notion that a settlement would require giving up that territory.
President Donald Trump told CBS on Sunday that he believed the war would end soon and suggested that Ukraine may end up with changed borders after the agreement.
“I think we’re going to have it done, and I think it’s going to happen and they’re going to end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine,” he said.
Trump has repeatedly called for Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate a peace deal and end the war, which has been ongoing for more than four years.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner, who joined Witkoff in Abu Dhabi, said on Monday that they hoped to identify “areas of common ground” between the two sides during the meeting.
Victoria Friedman, Guy Birchall, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
