Senior officials from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are meeting in Abu Dhabi for the first trilateral talks on ending the war since February. US officials said Moscow and Kyiv have privately shown "a little bit of flexibility" over who would control Ukraine's eastern regions after the war.
The US delegation includes President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and peace envoy Steve Witkoff. Kushner said the talks would focus on the postwar security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine and on getting all parties to think seriously about what comes after the fighting.
The main dispute is over the Donetsk region, most of which Russia now occupies. Moscow wants Ukraine to give up the parts it still holds, while Kyiv wants to freeze the current contact line. A US official said the territorial question would not be settled until a postwar security architecture was agreed.
The proposed framework includes security consultations, crisis hotlines, reciprocal de-escalation steps and reviving the NATO-Russia Council, largely paused since 2022. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged that NATO and EU members be included in any talks on Europe's security, and US officials said they would propose a wider format with European participation. The last round, in Geneva in February, ended without a breakthrough.