Ukraine Peace Talks End on Positive Note as Zelensky Teases Future Meeting
The rare three-way negotiations between the Ukrainian, Russian, and American teams in Abu Dhabi, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, were “constructive.” Russian, Ukrainian, and American officials held their first face-to-face talks Saturday, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky ended them on a rare positive note, hinting at progress in the slow process of ending the war. Mr. Zelensky said, “A lot was talked about, and it’s important that the conversations were good.” Zelensky said in a social media post about the talks, which took place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates’ capital, over two days.
He continued, “Provided there is readiness to move forward — and Ukraine is ready — further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week,” echoing reports that the negotiations had advanced in Russian state media. In the fall of last year, the Trump administration and Russia negotiated a proposal that became the draft peace plan that is being discussed in Abu Dhabi. Since then, the proposal has been revised several times with input from Ukraine, the United States, Europe, and other nations.
According to Zelensky, the delegations had discussed the United States’ potential involvement in “monitoring and oversight of the process of ending the war.” He did not say what form the American mission would take, but he said military officers in the delegations had made a list of issues to discuss at a possible follow-up meeting.
Mr. Zelensky had said earlier this month that the United States and Ukraine had all but concluded talks on an American contribution to postwar security guarantees. This week, President Trump and the leader of Ukraine met in Davos, Switzerland, to talk about the arrangement. Vladimir V. is the president. Putin of Russia has argued that Russia is winning the war and has said that his military is prepared to fight until it has achieved all of its objectives, although Russian forces have been taking heavy casualties for small advances.
Early Saturday, Russia unleashed a barrage of 15 missiles and over 350 drones aimed mostly at Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing one person and damaging a hospital and a maternity ward, according to Ukrainian authorities.
However, people who are familiar with Mr. For months, Putin’s thinking has held that American, Russian, and Ukrainian negotiators were essential to hammering out the specifics of a plan that might be suitable for the Russian leader. Longtime spies from Russia and Ukraine attended the talks in Abu Dhabi. Moscow’s delegation included two top military intelligence officials, Admiral Igor Kostyukov and General Alexander Zorin, according to Russian state media.
Kyiv sent General Kyrylo Budanov, the top intelligence officer in the Ukrainian military who was recently named Mr. Zelensky’s chief of staff. Jared Kushner, Mr., represented the United States. Steve Witkoff, the son-in-law of Trump, and Mr. Trump’s special envoy and longtime friend.
a piece on Mr. Witkoff’s account on X described the talks as “very constructive.” In addition, a background official for the U.S. administration stated that the talks indicated progress and that a second round of meetings was planned for the following Sunday. Mr. Putin is looking into the peace plans because Russia is having problems with its economy, which will make it harder for it to keep funding the war. Additionally, he has indicated that he wants to take advantage of the advantages of a new relationship with the United States under Mr. Trump, the most friendly American president in a long time to the Kremlin. The White House has demanded an end to the war first.
Security, postwar reconstruction, prisoner exchanges, and other issues associated with the conflict—which began nearly four years ago with Russia’s full-scale invasion—are among the 20 points of the current peace plan. Mr. Prior to the three-way talks, Zelensky had argued that Russia needed to state its position on the plan.
He stated that Ukrainian negotiators “should already have at least some answers” regarding Moscow’s position in a video address to Ukrainians on Friday. Ukraine and Russia remain at odds over key issues, despite some progress in recent months. Ukraine presented the United States and Europe with proposals for postwar security guarantees this month. In an effort to prevent Russia from repeating its invasion, a number of European nations pledged to deploy forces.
However, Moscow has objected to the presence of NATO members’ troops on Ukrainian soil. Additionally, Russia’s request for complete control of the Donetsk region, a former industrial powerhouse in eastern Ukraine that has been largely destroyed by the war, has been turned down by Ukrainian authorities. Negotiators from the United States and Ukraine have discussed establishing a demilitarized zone or deploying neutral peacekeepers to a portion of the Donetsk region.
But Russia has rejected any settlement on territory that departs from what Russian officials have characterized as an agreement reached between Mr. Mr. and Trump During a summit in Alaska in the summer of 2017, Putin said that Ukraine would give up unconquered territory in the area. Sergei A., Russia’s deputy foreign minister, According to Tass, Ryabkov declined to provide details about the talks but stated that the Russian delegation was making every effort to ensure that the deal complies with Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin got there then.
After more than a decade of bloodshed in defense of the region, beginning with a first Russian military incursion in 2014, any compromise regarding control of Ukraine’s eastern territories would be bitter for the country.
