Russia and Ukraine to hold US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi amid Trump’s peace optimism

Russian and Ukrainian officials are set to meet on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi for two days of talks brokered by the United States, the first such contact since February. The meetings, scheduled to begin around 0630 GMT, will be attended by representatives of France, Germany and the European Commission, although Russia has indicated it does not want European participation in the core negotiations. Ukrainian delegates will hold separate briefings for their European allies on the progress of the talks, Ukrainian officials said.

"We are doing everything to ensure that Europe is a participant in the diplomatic process," said Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian delegation.

Russia’s team will be led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov joining for the first time and senior military officer Yuri Zhigarlovsky also present. After a private meeting with a Russian envoy at the White House, President Donald Trump said a broad peace deal could be reached soon and suggested the agreement might involve security guarantees for all of Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has rejected any surrender of the Donbas region, said recent battlefield gains were strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position. He claimed Russia was suffering "record losses," a statement Moscow disputes, and urged Washington to press the Kremlin to end the war.

A U.S. official told Reuters that both leaders might be willing to make limited territorial concessions, though a senior Ukrainian official denied any plan to cede land, saying such issues could only be addressed at the leaders’ level with appropriate security guarantees.

Trump previously announced a truce on attacks against energy infrastructure, which quickly collapsed as Ukraine intensified strikes on Russian oil refineries and Russia responded by targeting Ukrainian electricity facilities. He later said the broader security deal under discussion could involve "more than Ukraine" and potentially "all of Europe," prompting criticism from European officials who stressed the need for direct involvement of relevant governments.

American officials, including special envoy Jared Kushner, met with NATO, the European Union and major European powers in Brussels to discuss security guarantees. G7 foreign ministers are also expected to address Ukraine at their summit in Paris, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha slated to attend. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before departing for France, noted "advances" in shaping Europe’s post-conflict security architecture.

Zelenskiy expressed hope that a Democratic victory in recent U.S. midterm elections could boost Washington’s support for Ukraine, noting that since Trump took office, direct U.S. aid to Kyiv has been reduced while Europe has become the primary source of funding for Ukraine’s budget and military purchases.