The Russian and Ukrainian delegations arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday morning. The U.S. delegation, led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and including Jared Kushner, also arrived in the Emirati capital on Wednesday following a diplomatic stop in Israel.
'Another round of negotiations has begun in Abu Dhabi,' Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation, wrote on social media, adding Kyiv's team was seeking 'to achieve a just and lasting peace'.
The two-day trilateral talks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating a US-brokered agreement calling for a halt to attacks on energy facilities. A large Russian drone and missile barrage in the run-up to the talks pounded Ukraine's energy grid, knocking out power and heating in freezing temperatures.
'Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed. They continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously,' Zelenskyy said.
'The work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly,' he added.
The main sticking points remain the long-term fate of Russian-occupied territory in eastern Ukraine and security guarantees for Kyiv. Moscow wants Kyiv to withdraw from parts of the Donbas and seeks recognition of territories it has annexed. Ukraine has rejected a one-sided pullback of forces and insists the conflict should be frozen along current front lines.
While Ukraine's delegation is led by Umerov, Russia is represented by its military intelligence director, Igor Kostyukov. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev met US officials in Florida over the weekend. US special envoy Steve Witkoff said those talks were 'productive and constructive'.
Russia occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine and has threatened to take the rest of Donetsk if talks fail. Ukraine has warned that ceding ground would embolden Moscow and it will not sign a deal that fails to deter future invasions.
"We are working within the clear directives of (Ukrainian) President Volodymyr Zelensky to achieve a dignified and lasting peace," Umerov said.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlined that hosting the talks reflects its balanced relations with all parties and its commitment to supporting international efforts for a 'comprehensive and lasting political solution' to the crisis.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
