Five years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, delegations from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv gather in Abu Dhabi for their first three-way talks since February, carrying a quiet hope that something softer lies beneath the hardened public stances. The deepest knot is Donetsk, and beneath it a larger question that no one can yet answer: what security arrangement will hold once the guns fall silent, and who will have a seat in shaping it. Europe, anxious that its own security is being sketched without it, stands at the edge of the table, while the bombardments continue as a reminder tha
Ukraine Peace Talks Resume in Abu Dhabi as Sides Show Private Flexibility on Donetsk
Russia continues deadly bombardments and strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure while the talks take place, according to the report.
A little bit of flexibility, privately
Mark
Why does the US official say Donetsk can't be settled on its own?
Mimi
Because he ties territory to security. Neither side will decide on land until it knows what protections come after the war, and he says one can't be finalised without the other.
Luke
Worth noting that's one unnamed US official's account. The "private flexibility" hasn't been shown by either side publicly.
Mark
So what are the public positions?
Mimi
Moscow wants Ukraine out of the parts of Donetsk it still holds. Kyiv wants the contact line frozen and says those areas are vital to its security.
Mark
And what would a security architecture contain?
Mimi
The proposals include consultations, crisis hotlines, reciprocal de-escalation measures and possibly reviving the Nato-Russia Council, paused since 2022.
Luke
Those are proposals floated by officials. Nothing there says either side has agreed to any of it.
Mark
Where does Europe fit?
Mimi
Mostly outside so far. Von der Leyen wants a seat, Zelensky does too, and the US says it will propose a multilateral format. The official admitted Russia is wary of Europeans.
Luke
And whether Moscow accepts that is unknown. Kushner himself only claims the talks might build momentum.
Mark
Why is Kyiv sceptical?
Mimi
Merezhko says Trump wants a quick deal at Ukraine's expense, and points to the Russian diesel purchase as encouraging Moscow.
Luke
That's one MP's view, though he chairs the foreign affairs committee. The reporting doesn't show what Trump's terms actually are.
O Pulso
- Public positions on Donetsk remain locked, with Moscow demanding Ukrainian withdrawal and Kyiv insisting the contact line be frozen.
- Washington claims a little private flexibility exists, but no one has yet shown it in public.
- European leaders are pressing to be included, fearing decisions about their continent will be made without them.
- Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure continue during the talks, deepening distrust in Kyiv about Moscow's intentions.
- Negotiators are trying to build a security framework with hotlines, de-escalation steps and a possible revival of the Nato-Russia Council, yet the talks may only generate momentum toward a later phase.
Five years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, delegations from Washington, Moscow and Kyiv gather in Abu Dhabi for their first three-way talks since February, carrying a quiet hope that something softer lies beneath the hardened public stances. The deepest knot is Donetsk, and beneath it a larger question that no one can yet answer: what security arrangement will hold once the guns fall silent, and who will have a seat in shaping it. Europe, anxious that its own security is being sketched without it, stands at the edge of the table, while the bombardments continue as a reminder that diplomacy is unfolding in the shadow of war.
On the eve of the first three-way talks on Ukraine since February, a US official said Moscow and Kyiv were showing a little flexibility in private on who would control Ukraine's eastern regions. Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are gathering in Abu Dhabi as the fifth anniversary of the full-scale invasion approaches. In public, nothing has moved. Moscow wants Ukraine to surrender the parts of Donetsk it still holds, while Kyiv wants the front line frozen and says those areas are vital to its future safety.
The American official argued that neither side can settle the territory until the postwar security architecture is clear. For Ukraine, that could mean firm guarantees that allies would defend it if attacked again. For Russia, it could mean its long-held goal of seeing Nato withdraw from eastern Europe, which alarms Europeans. Proposals on the table include security consultations, crisis hotlines, reciprocal de-escalation steps and reviving the Nato-Russia Council, paused since 2022.
Europe has largely been kept out, and leaders in Brussels and Kyiv have pressed to be included. Washington says it will propose a format that brings Europeans in, though the Russians remain wary of them. Unease about Trump's approach runs deep in Kyiv. Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs chair fears a quick deal at Ukraine's expense and argues that only more sanctions and deep strikes will push Putin to negotiate seriously.
While the delegations talk, the fighting goes on. Russia continues deadly bombardments and strikes on Ukraine's energy grid. What happens next depends on whether the talks widen to include Europe, and whether Moscow chooses to take part.
On the eve of the first three-way talks on Ukraine since February, a US official told reporters that Moscow and Kyiv were showing "a little bit of flexibility, privately" on the question of who would control Ukraine's eastern regions after the war. Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are due to meet in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, as the fifth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion approaches.
The public positions have not moved. Donetsk, now mostly occupied by Russia, is the sharpest point of disagreement. Moscow demands that Ukraine give up the parts of the region it still holds. Kyiv wants the contact line frozen where it is, and says those areas are crucial to its future security. The US official suggested those stances were the public face of the negotiations, and that the private picture was softer.
He was careful not to overstate it. In his telling, the two sides will not settle Donetsk or the wider territorial question until they know what the postwar security architecture will look like, and the Americans cannot finalise one without the other. For Ukraine, that architecture could include assurance that allies would come to its aid if it were attacked again. For Russia, it could mean its longstanding goal of seeing Nato pull back from eastern Europe, an idea that would alarm Europeans.
The framework now being proposed includes security consultations, crisis communications hotlines and "reciprocal de-escalation measures" between the two sides. US officials have also floated reviving the Nato-Russia Council, which has been largely paused since 2022.
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, is part of the American delegation alongside peace envoy Steve Witkoff. Writing on X, he said the talks would focus on the postwar security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine, and that it was important to encourage all parties to think seriously about what comes after the war. On Monday he cautioned that Abu Dhabi could at most "build momentum toward the next phase of negotiations," calling the conflict extraordinarily difficult and complicated.
The last trilateral round, in Geneva in February, ended without a breakthrough. Soon afterwards, the US-Israel war on Iran pulled Washington's attention away from Ukraine, and no further discussions took place. Russia's delegation will include Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, spy chief Igor Kostyukov and army general Yury Zhigarlovsky. Ukraine is sending Rustem Umerov, head of its Foreign Intelligence Service, Kyrylo Budanov, President Zelensky's chief of staff, and MP Davyd Arakhamiya, all veterans of earlier negotiating teams.
Europe has largely been left out, and its leaders have pushed to be included, worried that decisions about the continent's security could be made without them. On Monday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged that Nato allies and EU members join any meaningful discussion of Europe's security architecture. Zelensky has repeatedly said Kyiv wants Europe at the table. The US official said Washington would propose a multilateral format that brings Europeans in, adding "hopefully we'll get the Russians on board," while conceding that the Russians have a bad taste in their mouth with the Europeans.
Unease about Trump's approach runs deep in Kyiv and across the EU. After meeting Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Washington last week, Trump spoke of a coming "big, beautiful agreement" on Ukraine that "might involve all of Europe." Oleksandr Merezhko, who chairs Ukraine's parliamentary foreign affairs committee, told the BBC he believes Trump wants a quick deal at Ukraine's expense, one Kyiv would reject. He argued that only more sanctions and deep strikes would push Putin to negotiate seriously, since he has no incentive while his war machine is running, and said Trump's deal to buy Russian diesel only encourages Moscow to continue.
The fighting has not paused for diplomacy. Russia keeps up deadly bombardments and strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, which Kyiv reads as proof that Moscow wants to corner it into accepting terms on Russia's side. What to watch next is whether the talks widen into a format that includes Europe, and whether Russia engages with it.
Citações Notáveis
They will not solve the Donetsk issue and the territorial issue until they know what the security architecture is going to be after the war.— US official
While Putin has a war machine up and running, he has no incentives to negotiate.— Oleksandr Merezhko, Ukrainian MP
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