Russia, Ukraine and the United States have opened high-stakes negotiations in Abu Dhabi, with Washington seeking to turn efforts to end the Ukraine war into a broader European security settlement.
The two-day talks, which began on Tuesday, bring the three countries together for the first time since February.
However, the diplomatic push faces major obstacles as Moscow and Kyiv remain divided over occupied territories, Ukraine’s future military strength and its relationship with NATO, reports Associated Press.
The central challenge for US President Donald Trump’s administration is to find a formula that can address Russia’s security demands without forcing Ukraine to surrender territory or compromise its sovereignty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, four regions Moscow claims to have annexed. He also wants Kyiv to abandon its NATO ambitions and accept restrictions on its military.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected territorial concessions and restrictions on his country’s defence capabilities. Kyiv insists that a ceasefire should come before broader negotiations and that territorial questions must be addressed directly with Putin.
Europe’s security becomes central issue
Washington is seeking to expand the negotiations beyond the immediate battlefield by incorporating European security arrangements into a potential settlement.
US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are leading the diplomatic effort. Kushner has argued that a lasting agreement must ensure a sovereign, secure and prosperous Ukraine within a more stable European security framework.
Ahead of the three-way negotiations, Ukrainian officials held discussions with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission.
Moscow has welcomed Washington’s focus on wider security arrangements but opposes direct European participation in the three-way talks, leaving another diplomatic divide unresolved.
Fighting continues despite diplomatic push
The negotiations are taking place as both sides continue attacks.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 162 drones and a ballistic missile overnight. Russia’s Defence Ministry, meanwhile, claimed that its forces intercepted 155 Ukrainian drones over eight Russian regions and the Crimean Peninsula.
Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ahead of winter, while Kyiv has stepped up drone strikes against Russian oil refineries.
The Abu Dhabi meeting follows three earlier rounds of negotiations this year that failed to produce a significant breakthrough.
With both sides maintaining incompatible positions on territory and security, the talks face a difficult test: whether Trump’s broader diplomatic initiative can bridge the gap between ending the fighting and determining Europe’s future security order.
