The key facts

  • The first day of talks in Abu Dhabi concluded after 4.5 hours of discussions.
  • Rubio described Russia's participation in the trilateral format as a 'good' sign.
  • These are the first talks since the Geneva meeting in February; two previous rounds were also held in Abu Dhabi.

Rubio assessed the first day of negotiations

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the trilateral talks between the US, Russia, and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi as 'highly productive', noting that diplomatic efforts are aimed at building long-term security mechanisms. According to him, this represents significant work, and 'it is not about everything being resolved within the next 24 hours'. He gave this assessment on Tuesday during a meeting of G7 ministers in France, reports Anadolu.

Composition of delegations and continuation of meetings

Rubio emphasized that the agreement of Russian representatives to the trilateral format and their participation in the talks is 'good'. He also pointed out that in Abu Dhabi, alongside American negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, representatives of European Union countries are present, addressing European concerns about being excluded from the process. According to Rubio, Washington intends to 'expand this trilateral format' in the future by including European allies directly at the negotiating table.

Progress of negotiations

The first day of the latest round of trilateral talks on settlement under American mediation concluded after 4.5 hours of discussions, according to Russian media cited by Anadolu. The Ukrainian state agency Ukrinform, citing the press service of the Security Service of Ukraine, reports that negotiations will resume on Wednesday morning. The Russian delegation is led by presidential envoy Vladimir Medinsky, and the Ukrainian delegation by the head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov.

Context of the series of meetings

These are the first talks since the trilateral meeting in Geneva (Switzerland) in February; prior to that, two more rounds were held in January and February, with Abu Dhabi also serving as the host. Thus, the current round continues the series of meetings that have not been held for the first time in the capital of the UAE.