Representatives from Ukraine and Russia arrived Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, for the first round of talks aimed at finding a diplomatic solution to Moscow’s nearly five-year-long invasion.
Tuesday marks the first time that representatives from the U.S., Russia and Ukraine have sat down for trilateral talks since February.
The discussions, which will take place over two days, will primarily focus on crafting security guarantees for Ukraine that will satisfy both parties, a U.S. official said, adding that Washington had asked Moscow to accept provisions modeled after NATO’s Articles 4 and 5.
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Washington also wants Russia to agree to multilateral conversations that include European leaders, something Moscow has resisted in the past.
The U.S. team in Abu Dhabi is led by White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Both men have been in direct contact with Russian and Ukrainian leaders over the past two years.
The Ukrainian delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Office of the President.
Vladimir Medinsky, an influential aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, will head the Russian party with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
U.S. officials said they are having almost daily conversations with Russia and Ukraine about how to end the war, and both sides have shown flexibility toward certain concessions.
U.S. officials indicated they did not expect Tuesday’s discussions to solve every outstanding issue between Russia and Ukraine, but the meeting could provide both sides an opportunity to outline their positions. After which, real negotiations can begin.
The security-focused talks Tuesday build upon negotiations last week in Brussels with Ukrainian, European and U.S. representatives, which also focused on post-war guarantees for Kyiv.
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