Ukraine Peace Talks: Russia, Ukraine and US Resume Negotiations in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Russian, Ukrainian and US officials began a second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, resuming negotiations that Kyiv and Washington described as constructive but which have so far shown no clear signs of a breakthrough.

The first round of US-brokered talks on Monday marked the first direct negotiations between the two warring sides since February. However, neither Russian nor Ukrainian negotiators disclosed details of the discussions, while Moscow and Kyiv remained far apart on the terms of a possible settlement.

“We are starting the second day of the talks,” Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said in a statement on Telegram. He added that the day would begin with a trilateral meeting involving the United States and Russia, followed by separate discussions with European partners.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is not attending the negotiations, said Monday’s substantive discussions had covered humanitarian and security issues. He also indicated that a potential summit involving the Russian, Ukrainian and US presidents could be discussed on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of negotiations as very productive but provided no further details. Wednesday was scheduled to be the final day of the meetings.

Despite public optimism from US President Donald Trump, there has been little indication of major compromises or progress on the central disagreements more than four and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russian forces control about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, but territorial disputes are not the only obstacle to a settlement. Other key issues include future security guarantees, Ukraine’s possible neutral status and Moscow’s demand that Kyiv abandon its ambition to join NATO.

Both sides reported overnight attacks despite the ongoing negotiations.

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said Russian forces had struck six major electricity substations across four central Ukrainian regions. Energy company Naftogaz also reported that Russian jet drones had hit one of its facilities in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, causing a fire and damaging equipment.

Meanwhile, Russia’s TASS news agency reported that drone debris had killed two people after hitting an apartment building in the Smolensk region, which borders Belarus.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had also struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea, southwest of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, claiming it was carrying weapons and military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces. Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports.

Trump has increased pressure on Kyiv to reach an agreement, warning Ukraine that it must end the war or face “a very bad thing”. Last week, he said the conflict was close to being resolved through a “big beautiful agreement”, although his previous predictions of diplomatic breakthroughs have not materialised.

The renewed US diplomatic initiative has also prompted European officials to push for a role in negotiations aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow preferred negotiations on a broader European security framework before addressing the specific terms of the war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, however, maintained that wider security discussions should take place only after a ceasefire.

Lavrov rejected the proposal for a truce, arguing that European countries were seeking to give Ukraine time to recover. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi had not contacted European representatives and had no plans to do so.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that President Vladimir Putin was receiving regular briefings from the Russian delegation about the negotiations.

There has been no public indication that Putin is prepared to abandon his demand for Ukraine to surrender the entire eastern region of Donbas before a peace agreement can be reached. Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected handing over territory that Ukrainian forces have defended.

Although Russian advances along the front line have slowed this year, Moscow has continued attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. Ukraine, meanwhile, has intensified strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure.