Russia and Ukraine have resumed direct talks aimed at ending their war, with the United States leading a new diplomatic effort. The meeting took place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. It was the first US-mediated round of talks between the two countries in nine months.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the meeting as very productive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also called the discussions constructive and said they covered important issues. However, neither side reported a major breakthrough after the first session.
The talks lasted about four hours, and another round was planned for Wednesday. Senior officials from Moscow and Kyiv met with US representatives as President Donald Trump’s administration renewed its efforts to stop the fighting.
Neither Rubio nor Zelenskyy attended the meeting in person. The US delegation included Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. Both officials have played key roles in Washington’s efforts to bring the two sides closer.
Speaking at a Group of Seven meeting in Paris, Rubio said the discussions had made useful progress. However, he warned that ending the war would take more time and work. He said there was no reason to expect a final agreement within the next 24 hours.
Zelenskyy said the talks focused mainly on humanitarian issues. These included possible prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian civilians held in captivity and children taken from Ukraine. Security guarantees for Ukraine were also discussed.
A senior Ukrainian official said the two sides had discussed a large prisoner exchange. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to comment publicly. Further details of the possible exchange are expected to be discussed in the coming days.
The Abu Dhabi meeting was the first three-way session involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States since February. Earlier rounds of talks this year failed to produce major results. The latest effort therefore faces doubts about whether the countries can reach an agreement.
The war has caused widespread destruction since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Analysts and humanitarian groups say hundreds of thousands of soldiers and thousands of civilians have been killed. Millions of people have also faced displacement and other hardships.
Kushner said the US wanted to build a new framework for peace by learning from past negotiations. He said the goal was to identify what had worked and what had failed. He also expressed hope that the new approach could create a lasting settlement.
US Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, a NATO commander who attended the meeting, said Washington wanted to build on earlier progress. He said the delegation aimed to help establish the basis for lasting peace.
Rustem Umerov, who leads Ukraine’s delegation, thanked the United States for its efforts. He said Ukrainians wanted the war to end and hoped the negotiations would lead to a lasting peace.
Russia’s delegation was led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin. He said he hoped the talks would help move both countries toward peace. His team also included senior diplomatic and military officials.
Before the main session, Ukraine’s delegation met US representatives and officials from several European countries. Representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission took part in the earlier discussions.
Russia has opposed direct European involvement in the three-way negotiations. Moscow has said European Union representatives could join the process at a later stage. This disagreement remains one of the challenges facing the wider diplomatic effort.
The two countries also remain far apart on the main terms of a possible peace deal. Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia claimed to annex in September 2022. Russian forces do not fully control these areas.
Putin also wants Ukraine to abandon its plan to join NATO. Moscow has called for limits on Ukraine’s military and wants a wider peace agreement based on its demands.
Zelenskyy has rejected these conditions. He says Ukraine will not voluntarily give up its territory or accept restrictions that could weaken its defense. Kyiv also wants strong security guarantees from Western partners to prevent another Russian invasion.
Ukraine has called for an immediate ceasefire as the first step toward a wider peace agreement. Zelenskyy has also said that a direct meeting between himself and Putin is needed to settle major territorial disputes. The Russian president has rejected this proposal.
Meanwhile, fighting continues on the ground. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 162 drones and one ballistic missile overnight. Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its forces destroyed 155 Ukrainian drones across eight Russian regions and over Crimea.
The attacks show that neither side has reduced its military operations despite the renewed talks. Both countries have also continued long-range strikes as fighting remains intense along several parts of the front line.
The negotiations are taking place as the political situation in the United States changes. Democrats are set to take control of Congress in January after their gains in the midterm elections. This could increase pressure on Trump to explain his approach to the war and future US support for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed limited expectations for the latest talks. He said he did not expect major results from the meeting.
Trump has also suggested that a wider European security agreement could form part of the negotiations. Kushner said any lasting settlement would require direct discussions between Russia and European countries about broader security concerns.
For now, the Abu Dhabi talks have reopened diplomatic contact between Moscow and Kyiv. However, major disagreements over territory, NATO membership and military security remain unresolved. The next round of discussions will show whether the renewed US effort can produce meaningful progress toward ending the war.
