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 said it was critical that the talks 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, including that Ukraine cede the entire eastern Donbas region. Kyiv has rejected such terms, ruling out any unilateral withdrawal of its forces. Other major obstacles include Russia’s refusal to tolerate European troops on Ukrainian soil, a condition Kyiv sees as essential for credible security guarantees.
Kyiv was dealt a diplomatic blow before the talks when US President Donald Trump declined to condemn Russia for pounding 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. 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, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, travelled to Abu Dhabi for the negotiations. Ukraine’s team includes Kyrylo Budanov, the former head of military intelligence, and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of the general staff. The Russian delegation is led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the GRU military intelligence service, alongside other senior intelligence officials and the Kremlin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
