Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are set to hold talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, aimed at ending Europe's worst conflict since World War II. The meeting marks the first such trilateral engagement in more than nine months, as another winter of war approaches. European representatives are also expected to attend the talks.
Europe has grown alarmed at US President Donald Trump's recent suggestion of a deal with Moscow on European security ahead of the discussions. Trump has pushed for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war since returning to power, but previous rounds of talks produced no breakthroughs and the process became sidelined by the US-Israeli conflict against Iran. Both Ukraine and Europe fear Washington may force a settlement on Kyiv that amounts to a de facto capitulation, with Trump appearing to pivot towards Moscow this year.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions and has dragged on for 56 months, with the Kremlin showing no sign of backing down. Trump hinted Ukraine will have to give up territory ahead of the talks, saying: 'They're going to end up with a little bit different shape, Ukraine.' Russia occupies large swathes of Ukrainian territory, though its troops have advanced westward without fully seizing the Donetsk region. Moscow demands that Kyiv surrender the parts of the region it still controls, vowing to press on with its offensive otherwise. Ukraine, which has resisted a far larger invading army for more than four and a half years at enormous human cost, has ruled out such a withdrawal.
Russia carried out one of its deadliest strikes yet in the run-up to the talks, killing 55 people in a frontline village as they queued for humanitarian aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the intensified strikes were part of Moscow's strategy of 'putting pressure on Ukraine's position' at the negotiations. Vladimir Putin, who launched the war in February 2022, has repeatedly refused broader ceasefire offers and face-to- face talks with Zelensky.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff will gather the enemy sides in Abu Dhabi for the first time since February, when negotiations took place in Geneva. Russia and Ukraine have held several rounds of failed talks during nearly five years of war, and hopes for peace remain low. A senior Ukrainian official in Kyiv told AFP: 'We don't have any particular expectations.'
Trump last week floated a 'very big agreement' on the war that will 'involve all of Europe,' stoking fears that Washington would collaborate with Moscow on creating a new European security architecture. Shortly before launching its 2022 invasion, Moscow had issued an ultimatum demanding NATO rollback troops from Eastern Europe. The diplomat who issued the demand, Sergei Ryabkov, will now be part of Moscow's delegation, which is headed by Putin's nationalistic aide Vladimir Medinsky. Kushner said Monday that a peace settlement will require direct Russia-Europe talks 'on the broader security arrangements that affect them' and acknowledged 'difficult decisions ahead.' These announcements have stoked fears in European capitals. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Monday: 'For Europe, it is clear: we do not need to establish a new security architecture for Europe.' He urged Moscow to 'give up maximalist demands' and warned against any 'negotiation show' in the UAE capital. Zelensky has warned of a 'Yalta 2.0,' referring to Western leaders dividing Europe with the USSR in 1945. According to Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, representatives from the UK, France, Germany and Italy, as well as NATO and EU officials will hold separate talks with Kyiv's representatives in Abu Dhabi. The Kremlin, which has sought to keep Europe out of the talks, said negotiations will remain 'trilateral.' A recent ceasefire in the Kherson region was described by Ukrainian political expert Volodymyr Fesenko as 'a very positive precedent,' predicting Kyiv will look for 'de-escalation of the war through such local truces.' Kushner and Witkoff have been accused by critics of being soft on Russia, and US media have reported that the Americans are pushing large back-door business deals with Moscow.