Once again, envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the United States gather in Abu Dhabi, returning to a table where earlier rounds ended without result and the central disagreement has barely shifted. Ukraine's hope is modest: that simply sitting together again, after months of silence, is itself a small achievement in a war that has long outlasted the patience of those who hoped for quick peace. The old question of security guarantees still stands between the parties like a wall no one has found the door in, and the wider world watches from the edges, present but largely unseated. Whether this roun
Abu Dhabi Trilateral Talks Resume on Ukraine War, But Core Disputes Remain Unresolved
A late-October truce near Oleshky in Russian-occupied Kherson secured humanitarian aid and civilian evacuations, though Russia reportedly kept attacking elsewhere during the pause.
Simply the fact that talks are resuming can be counted as a success.
Mark
Why do these talks matter if nobody expects a breakthrough?
Mimi
Because of how Arakhamia framed it. After a long break, the meeting itself is the modest win he counts.
Luke
Worth noting that's one delegate's expectation, not a result. Nothing has been agreed yet.
Mark
Who is actually at the table?
Mimi
Witkoff and Kushner for the US, Medinsky with military and intelligence officials for Russia, and Umerov, Arakhamia and others for Ukraine.
Mark
And the Europeans?
Mimi
Separate formats. Shelest expects them to observe at best, since Russia prefers to present this as a US-Russia matter.
Luke
That's her assessment. The source doesn't confirm how the Europeans will be treated.
Mark
What about Oleshky?
Mimi
The late-October truce let aid in and civilians out. Analysts think it could be a template for other local pauses.
Luke
But Us says Russia kept attacking elsewhere and fortified positions around the town. Whether that's a model or a cautionary tale is unsettled.
Mark
And Trump's "big beautiful agreement"?
Luke
Only a description so far. Shelest says its points are old Russian talking points from 2009, and no terms have been shown.
Le Pouls
- Talks in Abu Dhabi resume on Tuesday and Wednesday after February's failed rounds, and the central dispute over security guarantees has not moved.
- Russia rejects Ukraine's core demand for security guarantees, leaving the negotiating table stuck before it begins.
- European officials attend only in separate formats, likely as observers, while the real exchange runs between Moscow, Kyiv and Washington.
- Ukraine's negotiator expects no breakthrough, hoping only that the resumption of talks counts as progress.
- A limited humanitarian truce near Oleshky offers a possible template for small ceasefires, but Russia reportedly used the pause to fortify its positions and kept attacking elsewhere.
Once again, envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the United States gather in Abu Dhabi, returning to a table where earlier rounds ended without result and the central disagreement has barely shifted. Ukraine's hope is modest: that simply sitting together again, after months of silence, is itself a small achievement in a war that has long outlasted the patience of those who hoped for quick peace. The old question of security guarantees still stands between the parties like a wall no one has found the door in, and the wider world watches from the edges, present but largely unseated. Whether this round yields anything beyond the continuation of the conversation may depend on whether small, humanitarian agreements, like the brief truce near Oleshky, can be repeated in a war that has learned to pause without ending.
Envoys from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday, returning to a negotiating table that has been quiet since February. The earlier rounds, held in January and February, produced little, and the core disagreement remains where it was. Ukraine insists on security guarantees, and Moscow treats that demand as unacceptable.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff has framed the agenda broadly, covering post-war security, de-escalation, humanitarian work and next steps toward peace. Kyiv's list is more specific: security guarantees, an energy ceasefire, reopening the Black Sea, extended prisoner exchanges, and preparation for a leaders' meeting. Ukrainian lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the delegation, says he does not expect a breakthrough, and considers the resumption itself a success.
The delegations are senior, with Jared Kushner joining Witkoff, Vladimir Medinsky leading for Moscow, and Rustem Umerov heading Ukraine's team. European representatives will be present in separate formats, but analysts doubt they will hold a formal role. Hanna Shelest of Ukrainian Prism says Russia wants the matter framed as a contest between great powers, and she expects Medinsky's talks to show willingness to talk without yielding agreement.
Still, Shelest sees a modest hopeful sign in the presence of intelligence officers, which could make progress possible on prisoner swaps or local humanitarian pauses. The Oleshky truce in late October, which allowed aid in and civilians out, may serve as a model. Yet Russia kept attacking elsewhere during that pause and used it to reinforce its positions, so whether Abu Dhabi produces more than a continued process may depend on whether such limited arrangements can be repeated.
A new round of talks among Russia, Ukraine and the United States is set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abu Dhabi. It follows a burst of US-mediated meetings in January and February that produced nothing. Ukrainian and Russian representatives last sat down in February, and the sticking points have not moved. Ukraine still demands security guarantees, and Russia treats that demand as a non-starter.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the meeting last week. He said the agenda would cover post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and next steps toward peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set out his own list: security guarantees, an energy ceasefire, unblocking the Black Sea, extended prisoner exchanges, and preparation for a meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
Expectations on the Ukrainian side are modest. Davyd Arakhamia, a lawmaker and member of Ukraine's delegation, told DW he did not foresee a breakthrough after such a long gap in negotiations. In his view, the simple fact that trilateral talks are resuming can count as a success.
The delegations are senior. Witkoff will be joined by Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a real estate developer, who also serves as a special envoy. The Kremlin has named Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Vladimir Putin, as chief negotiator, backed by high-ranking military and intelligence officials. Ukraine's team is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, with Arakhamia and a group of diplomatic and military officials.
Europeans will be in Abu Dhabi too, but in separate formats. They include Günter Sautter, adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz; Emmanuel Bonne of the Elysee Palace; Jonathan Powell, the UK national security adviser; and Fabrizio Saggio, adviser to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Björn Seibert, chief of staff to Ursula von der Leyen, and Geoffrey van Leeuwen, chief of staff to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, will also attend. Whether any of them will be formally involved in a peace deal is doubtful. Hanna Shelest of the foreign policy network Ukrainian Prism expects an observing role, at best. She said Russia has resisted European participation to sustain the picture of a matter between two superpowers and to keep pressure on Washington.
Shelest was blunt about Medinsky. In her account, when he leads negotiations the aim is to show the US that Russia is willing to talk while reaching no agreement, with a long lecture on history in place of substance. She did call the presence of senior intelligence officers a fairly positive sign, and thinks talks at that level could yield results on prisoner exchanges or humanitarian pauses in villages near Oleshky. That town in Russian-occupied Kherson region was the site of a temporary truce in late October, credited to US First Lady Melania Trump, which allowed humanitarian aid in and civilians out. Even so, Shelest warned against hoping for concrete results and suspects Moscow is using the talks to stall.
Late last week Trump spoke of a "big beautiful agreement," after a conversation with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, that might involve all of Europe. Kushner later described the idea on social media as a security architecture built on permanent consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal steps to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for European stability. Shelest said none of this contains anything Russia hasn't been discussing since 2009.
Ivan Us, an economic diplomacy expert at Ukraine's National Institute for Strategic Studies, noted that talks with people who are not decision-makers could be for show. He agreed that negotiators might try to use the Oleshky truce as a model for other limited humanitarian ceasefires. He also cautioned that Russia kept up attacks in Ukraine during that truce and used the pause to fortify its positions around the town. Whether Abu Dhabi produces anything beyond a resumed process may turn on whether such limited arrangements can be repeated.
Citations marquantes
I don't think there will be a breakthrough, after there was such a long break in the negotiation process.— Davyd Arakhamia, member of Ukraine's delegation
Europeans would play an observing role, at best.— Hanna Shelest, Ukrainian Prism
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