Diplomatic talks to end the war in Ukraine resumed in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the first trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States since February, BioBioChile reported.
The closed-door meetings in the United Arab Emirates bring together delegations after a nine-month hiatus driven by the conflict in Iran, according to reports from the Russian state agency TASS cited by BioBioChile. The talks focus squarely on post-conflict security guarantees for both sides, DW.com noted.
Moscow’s team is led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who participated in prior trilateral rounds held in 2025. The Russian delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, alongside military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov and his deputy Yuri Zhigarlovski, as BioBioChile outlined.
Kyiv’s negotiating team is spearheaded by Rustem Umerov, who serves as the head of Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service. According to BioBioChile, Umerov is accompanied by the chief of staff of the president of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, and military intelligence general Kyrylo Budanov, with parliamentary leader David Arakhamia and diplomat Sergiy Kyslytsya rounding out the roster.
Before the trilateral sessions commenced, the Ukrainian delegation met with representatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the European Commission. Umerov announced on Telegram that U.S. mediators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner joined these preparatory talks to align positions.
While European security advisers participate in parallel discussions in Abu Dhabi, Russia has rejected direct European participation in the main trilateral room, BioBioChile reported. DW.com added that Moscow continues to demand Ukrainian troop withdrawals from the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, alongside a rejection of NATO membership.
Kiev firmly rejects territorial concessions outside areas captured by force and opposes military caps. As the diplomatic track moves forward, previous trilateral meetings yielded little beyond prisoner exchanges and the repatriation of fallen soldiers.
