Russia and Ukraine to hold first trilateral talks with US in nine months
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators will meet with American envoys in Abu Dhabi this week, the first trilateral round since February, as Washington pushes for security guarantees against any future Russian invasion.
Russia and Ukraine will hold their first trilateral talks with the United States in nine months, with negotiators meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday. The round marks a renewed effort to move the war toward a settlement, and it puts President Donald Trump's envoys at the center of the process as Washington weighs how to keep Kyiv protected from another Russian attack.
The American delegation includes Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Russia will be represented by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, while Ukraine's delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, the country's intelligence chief. The previous round of trilateral discussions was held in Geneva in February, and this week's meeting is the first since then.
A central item on the American agenda is a security guarantee for Ukraine modeled on the commitments of NATO members. Washington has asked Moscow to accept such an arrangement, according to the reporting. Trump has not yet decided whether the United States will offer its own security guarantee to Ukraine. Any such American commitment would require an agreement between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Territory remains the most difficult issue. Russia has publicly demanded control of all of Donetsk, while Ukraine is seeking to freeze the conflict along the current front line. Both sides are reported to be privately more flexible on territory than their public positions suggest. Trump has also suggested that Ukraine's borders could change as part of a deal. Officials involved in the process describe territory and security arrangements as closely linked, which is why the two issues are expected to be discussed together.
The talks are intended to clarify each side's positions rather than produce a final resolution of the territorial question. Officials have described the outcome as highly uncertain, and deep distrust between Moscow and Kyiv persists. Before the trilateral meeting, planned consultations with European and NATO officials are expected to take place.
Among the ideas under consideration are reviving the NATO-Russia Council, a forum that was used for dialogue between the alliance and Moscow, as well as arrangements for crisis communications and greater military transparency. Sanctions relief is also on the table as a possible gradual step, with the understanding that sanctions could be reimposed if either side violated an agreement.
Witkoff and Kushner may also meet with Putin and Zelenskyy in the coming period. Trump is expected to attend the APEC summit in China, where a meeting with Putin is possible. For now, the Abu Dhabi round is designed to test whether the positions of the parties can be brought closer on the two issues that have defined the negotiations: the future security of Ukraine and the fate of the territory Russia claims.
Source: foxnews.com
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