Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have held a “productive” first round of US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi, as Washington seeks a pathway to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. The two-day trilateral talks, which are due to continue on Thursday, come after Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Moscow of exploiting a US-backed energy truce to stockpile weapons before launching a record number of ballistic missile attacks on Tuesday.
Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s chief negotiator and head of its national security and defence council, described the talks as “substantive and productive, focused on concrete steps and practical solutions”. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also called the talks productive. Zelenskyy stressed that the talks must lead to real peace and not offer Russia a new opportunity to continue the war, adding that Ukraine expects a new prisoner exchange soon.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration, the prospects for a viable peace deal remain unclear. Moscow continues to press its maximalist territorial demands, insisting that any settlement must include Ukraine ceding the entire eastern Donbas region, including areas still under Ukrainian control. Kyiv has rejected such terms, proposing instead to freeze the conflict along the current frontline and ruling out any unilateral withdrawal of its forces.
Other major obstacles remain. Russia has said it would not tolerate European troops on Ukrainian soil, a condition Kyiv sees as essential for credible security guarantees. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte told Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday that European allies had committed to deploying forces once a deal was reached, a proposal Russia has flatly rejected. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian forces would continue fighting until Kyiv made “decisions” that could end the war.
Kyiv was dealt a diplomatic blow before the talks when US President Donald Trump declined to condemn Russia for attacking Ukraine’s energy grid despite an apparent ceasefire. Trump later said Vladimir Putin had “kept his word” on the ceasefire, adding that Russia’s pause in attacks was meant to last only until Sunday. Zelenskyy urged Western governments to denounce the strikes, accusing Russia of terrorising people during the coldest days of winter.
The US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner travelled to Abu Dhabi for the negotiations. Ukraine’s team includes Kyrylo Budanov and Andrii Hnatov, while the Russian delegation is led by Igor Kostyukov. A potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy has been mooted, but the Kremlin said it would agree only if the Ukrainian leader travelled to Moscow.
