The key facts

  • Trilateral talks on conflict resolution are underway in Abu Dhabi — the first in this format after a break of nearly nine months.
  • Russia is represented by Vladimir Medinsky, Ukraine by Rustem Umerov, and the US by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
  • Witkoff stated that agreements must respect Ukraine's sovereignty and provide robust security guarantees.

Talks in Abu Dhabi

Trilateral talks on resolving the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv are underway in Abu Dhabi. The Russian delegation is led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, the Ukrainian delegation by Rustem Umerov, and the American side is represented by US presidential special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. As reported by Gazeta.Ru, this is the first meeting in the trilateral format after a break of nearly nine months. The parties intend to discuss the terms of a ceasefire, security guarantees, and humanitarian issues.

Witkoff's statement on the parameters of an agreement

During the meeting, Witkoff stated that the US, Kyiv, and European partners consider it necessary to include security guarantees for Ukraine in any future agreement. According to him, participants in the meeting emphasized that any future agreements must respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, independent decision-making, and provide robust security guarantees for Ukraine. These remarks were published on the special envoy's official page on the social network X.

Further work and context

Witkoff also said that the US, Ukraine, and Europe plan to continue working on involving Europeans in multilateral peace talks on Ukraine. Kushner earlier spoke of 'good ideas' for overcoming disagreements between Russia and Ukraine. The results of the meeting in Abu Dhabi itself, including the positions of the Russian delegation, have not yet been reported in the published materials.