WASHINGTON — New trilateral peace talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the US were “constructive” after their first ay, top officials said.
Negotiators from the three countries convened in Abu Dhabi, and the talks lasted about four hours, in the first trilateral aimed at ending the war in Ukraine since February.
“The trilateral format was constructive and quite substantive. They had time to discuss the need and possible parameters for humanitarian steps,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on X after being briefed by his team of negotiators.
“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 added. “Real tools are needed to block any recurrence of the war. The need for de-escalation steps was also touched upon.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was not present for the talks, later told reporters that the first day of the trilateral was “very productive.”
One of the biggest sticking points has been control of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Russia controls most of it — with most estimates saying about 80 to 85% of territory.
But Russia has been unable to take the rest of it by force and break through the Donetsk fortress belt. The Kremlin has been adamant that Ukraine cede it, but Ukraine fears that doing so would pave the way for Russia to advance further into its territory in the future.
That snag has loomed over past attempts to achieve a diplomatic end to the war that is set to mark its grim, five-year anniversary next February.
A key focus of the talks is “postwar security concerns,” according to special envoy Jared Kushner.
Security guarantees to ensure Ukraine won’t face another invasion in the future have been a high priority for Kyiv.
Kushner and fellow special envoy Steve Witkoff had met with Russian and Ukrainian officials over recent weeks to set the stage for the trilateral. Kushner had claimed vaguely that the US had “narrowed the gaps” between the two warring countries.
Specifics about what differences were narrowed are not immediately clear.
The three countries last held a trilateral in Geneva in February, but a breakthrough on ending the war proved elusive. Then the war in Iran began.
Meanwhile, Russia has been carrying out brutal attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, seeking to make the coming winter as painful as possible for its neighbor.
Ukraine has struggled to defend its skies against Russian ballistic missiles due to the shortage of Patriot interceptors and other defensive weaponry.
