Trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the United States aimed at ending the war in Ukraine concluded after a second day. Although the U.S. side said it saw “some openings,” there was no sign of any progress toward ending the nearly five-year war sparked by the Russian invasion. Davyd Arakhamia of Ukraine’s negotiating team said this round of talks – the first since February – “was one of the most difficult.” “I think the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to smooth out the discussion,” he said. But he added that he felt “good momentum” and urged organizing a second round of talks as soon as possible. Both Moscow and kyiv confirmed that a large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange was being prepared and could take place soon. After the talks, it was announced that on Thursday American negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, would travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then to Dublin to speak with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. This latest round of talks had been framed as focusing on Europe’s “security architecture.” For kyiv, this may include assurances that allies will come to its aid if Ukraine is attacked again, even though the country is not a NATO member. For Moscow, it is likely to include a limit on NATO’s influence in Eastern Europe, a central concern for the Kremlin since the alliance’s eastward expansion. Earlier this week, Kushner said the United States hoped to “create a new framework” of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe that could “ensure lasting peace,” while Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the world needed a “new” and “fair” security system. Ukraine and Europe have long been concerned about the current US administration’s commitment to European security. and his softening toward the Kremlin. Representatives from Britain, NATO and several EU countries were also in Abu Dhabi and met with American and Ukrainian negotiators, but the Kremlin – with whom the EU does not officially communicate – said its delegation had not had any contact with them. Moscow has been dismissive of European involvement, although Europeans have long argued that they are critical to any postwar dynamic on their continent. Many – particularly in Eastern Europe – feel that their security is linked to that of Ukraine. The agreements cannot be implemented “if a consensus cannot be reached among NATO members,” a German government spokesman said Wednesday. Kushner said the United States was interested in bringing the Europeans on board and said “adding them to the format” would be on the agenda of his talks with Putin. There is also disagreement over whether discussions on a future security framework should be preceded by a ceasefire, as the Europeans and kyiv would like, or whether the fighting will only stop after an agreement has been reached, like the Kremlin. has insisted. However, any agreement on a peacetime security framework depends on ending the war, Kushner noted. But that cannot happen “until there is an agreement on the territory and on all other bilateral issues,” he added. Since talks began last year, a key obstacle to any deal has been Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk, which is largely occupied by Russia. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine give up the parts of Donetsk it still holds, while kyiv wants to freeze the line of contact to maintain control over those areas. This issue was the “most difficult,” Kushner acknowledged, while Zelensky’s chief of staff and negotiator Kyrylo Budanov declined to ask whether Russia still demands Ukraine’s withdrawal from the region. “These deals are very tough and complex, and this one is very emotional, very complex,” Kushner said. “The reality is that right now there is no trust between the parties and that is to be expected after a conflict like this.”
