Second day of Russia-Ukraine-US talks concludes in Abu Dhabi
Russia, Ukraine, and the US have concluded the second day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. Wednesday’s meeting lasted just under two hours, compared to the nearly five hours of closed-door negotiations on Tuesday.
The Abu Dhabi November round marks the first formal trilateral negotiations since February, and were made possible only by Washington’s mediation efforts, which involved talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.
Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading the Russian delegation. Also present were US envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Ukrainian team is headed by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov, who has said Vladimir Zelensky has authorized the delegation to discuss all issues related to ending the conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained on Tuesday that the first priority for negotiators is establishing the parameters of security for Russia, Ukraine and the wider region before moving on to a settlement of the conflict.
Moscow has long insisted that a lasting agreement must address the root causes of the crisis.
Kushner has outlined Washington’s priorities as ending hostilities, establishing postwar security guarantees, supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and addressing humanitarian issues.
Territory remains a major obstacle as Zelensky has once again ruled out Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Russia’s Donbass. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, he argued that Washington should find “another way” to reach a deal with Moscow.
The Telegraph also reported that Kiev has rejected a US proposal to redraw administrative boundaries as part of a territorial compromise. Russia has consistently demanded recognition of the territorial realities on the ground, including an end to Ukrainian control over the remaining parts of Donbass.
European representatives remain outside the trilateral talks, although they met separately with US and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday. Umerov said Wednesday’s trilateral session would also be followed by another separate meeting with Ukraine’s European backers.
Moscow has questioned their contribution and has accused European governments of undermining previous peace agreements and prolonging the fighting through continued weapons supplies.
