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, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also called the talks productive. Zelenskyy said it was critical for the talks to lead to real peace and not offer Russia a new opportunity to continue the war, urging partners to exert more pressure on Moscow.
Despite renewed diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration, major obstacles remain. Moscow continues to demand that Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas region, including areas still under Ukrainian control, a condition Kyiv has rejected. Russia has also said it would not tolerate European troops on Ukrainian soil, a proposal Kyiv sees as essential for security guarantees. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said European allies had committed to deploying forces once a deal is reached, but Russia has flatly rejected this.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian forces would continue fighting until Kyiv makes “decisions” to end the war. Kyiv was dealt a diplomatic blow before the talks when US President Donald Trump declined to condemn Russia for striking Ukraine’s energy grid despite an apparent ceasefire. Trump said Vladimir Putin had “kept his word” on the ceasefire, adding that the pause was meant to last only until Sunday.
Ukraine’s team includes Kyrylo Budanov and Andrii Hnatov, while the Russian delegation is led by Igor Kostyukov and includes Kirill Dmitriev. A potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy has been mooted, but the Kremlin said it would agree only if Zelenskyy travels to Moscow. In a show of alignment, Putin held a video call with China’s President Xi Jinping, hailing bilateral ties.
