ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first peace talks since February as US President Donald Trump’s envoys launched a new push to end the war in Ukraine.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the US-brokered meeting as very productive, without giving details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the talks “constructive and quite substantive”, and said they had included humanitarian and security issues.”The release of prisoners (of war) is a priority.
They spoke in detail about the substance of security guarantees for Ukraine and the foundations for ensuring these guarantees function over the long term,” he posted on X.”Real tools are needed to block any recurrence of the war. The need for de-escalation steps was also touched upon.”
Despite public optimism from Trump, the warring sides remain far apart on terms for a possible settlement, more than 4-1/2 years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Russian forces control about a fifth of Ukraine, but territory is not the only issue at stake.
Others include future security guarantees, which both sides say they need, and Moscow’s demands that Ukraine adopt neutral status and not join NATO.
There was no immediate comment from Russia on what was discussed. A second day of negotiations was scheduled for Wednesday.
The meeting followed US contacts with both sides in recent weeks that Trump’s representative Jared Kushner said had narrowed gaps between their positions. Addressing delegates at the start of the meeting, he said Washington had some good ideas on how to make progress.
Trump has intensified pressure on Kyiv to reach a deal, saying it is time for Ukraine to end the war or face “a very bad thing”. Last week he said the war was close to being settled in a “big beautiful agreement” that might involve the security of all Europe, but he has frequently predicted breakthroughs that have not materialised.
