Talks in Abu Dhabi: reports of 'flexibility' on territories and discussion of security guarantees

New round of talks in Abu Dhabi

A new round of talks aimed at ending the war began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. According to US media reports citing a senior American official, Ukraine and Russia have informally shown 'some flexibility' on the issue of disputed territories. The official gave no details but warned that territorial disputes cannot be resolved without an agreement on postwar security mechanisms: 'They will not resolve the question of Donetsk and the territorial issue until they know what the security architecture after the war will look like.' This is reported by euronews.

The parties' positions and the format of the meeting

Moscow demands that Kyiv recognize Russian control over Crimea and four regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — and withdraw its forces from all four regions, including areas Russia has never occupied. Kyiv rejects these demands. On the eve of the talks, Volodymyr Zelensky said the Ukrainian team would present de-escalation steps in Abu Dhabi and would seek an agreement on a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US 'in order to end this war fairly and for real.'

European consultations and Kyiv's agenda

The talks opened with a meeting of Ukrainian, American and European representatives, preceding the first trilateral talks since February involving Kyiv, Moscow and Washington. Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said the initial meeting was attended by representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission, as well as US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. 'We will align positions and coordinate steps ahead of the next stage of the talks,' Umerov said. He named Ukraine's priorities as a cessation of hostilities, postwar security guarantees, economic recovery and humanitarian measures.

Security arrangements under discussion

According to US media, Washington and Moscow discussed security guarantees for Ukraine similar to the provisions of NATO Articles 4 and 5 — on consultations over threats and collective defense, respectively. The official is also reported to have raised the question of resuming the work of the NATO-Russia Council, suspended since 2022, and of a 'snapback' mechanism allowing sanctions against Moscow to be reimposed if the ceasefire is violated. European leaders, meanwhile, are seeking a more meaningful role in the US-led process: 'To end the war, Europe must sit at the table,' a senior American official was reported as saying.

Context and cautious expectations

The diplomatic efforts are accompanied by continued attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. In his Monday evening address, Zelensky warned that Moscow seeks to divide Ukraine along the Dnipro River by striking bridges and the power grid. Washington, meanwhile, cautioned against expecting an immediate breakthrough: special envoy Jared Kushner said the talks could help 'create momentum for moving to the next stage of negotiations,' calling the conflict 'extremely difficult and complex.' Earlier, Trump suggested that Ukraine could come out of the war 'in a slightly different form', without specifying what territorial changes he meant.