Security guarantees for Ukraine highlighted ahead of Abu Dhabi talks, says US secretary of state Rubio
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said progress is being made on post-war security arrangements for Ukraine and Europe, as US-mediated negotiations are set to take place in Abu Dhabi.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio said recent discussions have produced advances on the "security infrastructure" that could protect Ukraine and Europe after the war with Russia. He told CBS’s “60 Minutes” that the need for security guarantees has been a recurring theme in talks, and that the upcoming negotiations in Abu Dhabi may further shape that architecture.
The talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, will be attended by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who will represent the United States. President Donald Trump, speaking on the same program, expressed confidence that the conflict will end soon and suggested a settlement could involve altered Ukrainian borders.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed France’s participation in the Abu Dhabi discussions, though he did not specify the French delegation.
In separate developments, a Russian drone struck emergency workers in the Ukrainian village of Komyshuvakha, damaging rescue equipment but causing no injuries. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, under UN nuclear watchdog supervision, regained external electricity after a brief outage, marking its 27th power loss incident since the conflict began.
Russia reported that overnight strikes hit three cargo vessels carrying military goods for Ukraine and two electricity substations supporting the Ukrainian defence industry.
Moldova inaugurated a new power line linking it to Romania and the broader European grid, aiming to end reliance on Russian energy. President Maia Sandu wrote on X, "For decades, Moscow used energy to blackmail us. No more. Moldova buys zero Russian gas."