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Russia, Ukraine and the United States are set to resume trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, in a renewed diplomatic effort to find a way to end the nearly five-year conflict.
The two-day talks, mediated by Washington, will bring together senior representatives of the three countries for the first round of this format since February. Post-war security arrangements, a possible ceasefire and humanitarian issues are expected to dominate the agenda, according to Anadolu Agency.
The meeting comes as fighting continues and international pressure grows for a diplomatic solution before winter. US President Donald Trump has stepped up efforts to broker an agreement, building on recent contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the new round earlier this month, saying Washington wanted to build on progress made during discussions in Kyiv, Oslo and St. Petersburg. He said the negotiations would focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures and further steps towards ending the war.
Putin agreed to the new round after meeting Witkoff in St. Petersburg in late October.
Delegations and European participation
The US delegation is expected to include Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have been leading the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts.
Russia’s delegation will be headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky and include Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergey Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin.
Ukraine will be represented by a team led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Presidential aides Kyrylo Budanov and Sergiy Kyslytsya, as well as parliamentary faction leader Davyd Arakhamia, are also expected to take part.
The European Commission and the European Council have confirmed they will send a joint team of senior officials to Abu Dhabi, accompanied by representatives of France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The EU delegation will be led by Bjoern Seibert, chief of staff to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Anna-Maria Boura, chief foreign policy adviser to European Council President Antonio Costa.
European participation remains a sensitive issue. Kyiv insists that European countries must have a say in any agreement shaping the continent’s future security architecture.
Moscow has described the Abu Dhabi meeting as a trilateral format involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, while the Kremlin has acknowledged that consultations with European countries will eventually be necessary. It remains unclear whether European representatives will hold direct talks with the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi.
Territory, ceasefire and security guarantees
Territory is at the heart of the negotiations. Moscow demands that Ukraine withdraw its forces from the parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions still under Kyiv’s control. Russia maintains that the regions became part of the country following referendums held in 2022.
Kyiv rejects any formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over the regions. Ukrainian officials have indicated that negotiations could begin with an end to hostilities along the current line of contact, without treating it as recognition of new borders or a permanent settlement of territorial claims.
The dispute is closely linked to the timing and terms of a ceasefire. Ukraine says hostilities should first be halted to create conditions for negotiations on more complex political issues. Russia has expressed reservations about an unconditional ceasefire, arguing that a temporary pause without a comprehensive political settlement could allow Ukraine to regroup and strengthen its military capabilities.
The disagreement also raises the question of how compliance with any ceasefire would be monitored and guaranteed.
Security guarantees for Ukraine are expected to be another major issue. Kyiv wants binding commitments from Western partners to ensure an effective response if Russia launches another military operation after a peace agreement is reached.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for guarantees comparable to NATO’s Article 5 collective-defence clause, under which an armed attack against one alliance member is treated as an attack against all.
The Kremlin says security guarantees cannot be limited to arrangements protecting Ukraine. It argues that Russia’s own security concerns must also be addressed and that any lasting settlement should take account of the wider European security architecture.
Ukraine’s possible NATO membership is another fundamental point of disagreement. Moscow has consistently opposed the alliance’s further eastward expansion and wants Kyiv to abandon its NATO ambitions as part of a settlement. Ukraine says choosing its foreign and security policy is a sovereign right.
Some European countries have discussed deploying military personnel as part of a post-war security arrangement, potentially deterring renewed hostilities and helping ensure compliance with a peace agreement. Russia has firmly opposed such a presence, warning that Western military contingents in Ukraine would be considered legitimate military targets. Kyiv sees an international military presence as a possible additional layer of protection, particularly if Ukraine is not offered NATO membership.
The negotiations may also address the economic aspects of a settlement, including the future of Western sanctions against Russia. Moscow has a strong interest in lifting or easing restrictions imposed by the United States and its allies, while Washington and European capitals view sanctions as an important source of leverage. No comprehensive sanctions-relief arrangement has been publicly confirmed as an agreed outcome or a specific item on the Abu Dhabi agenda.
Zelenskyy has identified protection of energy infrastructure, the restoration of safe navigation in the Black Sea and increased prisoner exchanges as priorities for the upcoming negotiations.
As winter approaches, Ukraine is seeking an agreement to prevent attacks on power facilities and other critical infrastructure.
The Black Sea could offer scope for practical discussions despite the wider differences between the parties. Ukraine wants safe, uninterrupted access to maritime trade routes and the restoration of normal shipping through its ports, particularly for agricultural exports. The issue also affects countries in Africa and Asia that depend on stable supplies of Ukrainian and Russian grain and other commodities.
Humanitarian arrangements, including exchanges of prisoners of war and the return of civilians, are also expected to feature in the discussions.
Prospects for a breakthrough remain uncertain
The chances of a breakthrough remain uncertain. Previous rounds of US-mediated negotiations earlier this year failed to produce visible progress, and the diplomatic process was later interrupted as Washington’s attention shifted towards the war with Iran.
Since then, fighting along the roughly 1,200-kilometre (745-mile) front line has continued, alongside intensified long-range drone and missile attacks.
Trump has recently expressed optimism about an agreement, saying Russia and Ukraine are very close to a deal. However, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on territory, NATO, Ukraine’s future military status and security guarantees.
In this context, the immediate aim of the Abu Dhabi meeting may be less ambitious than reaching a final peace agreement. Resuming direct contacts is itself a diplomatic step, but turning that momentum into concrete agreements will require compromises on issues that have remained central to the conflict.
