US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday without a breakthrough towards a ceasefire, as both sides remained divided over the conditions and sequence of steps required to end the war.
The two-day discussions, which brought together Russian, Ukrainian and American representatives, failed to resolve disagreements over security guarantees for Ukraine and Europe’s role in a future peace settlement.
A key sticking point was Ukraine’s insistence that Russia must first halt its military operations before broader discussions on Europe’s future security arrangements could begin.
“We say that we need to discuss the security architecture of the future once hostilities have ceased and security guarantees for Ukraine are in place,” a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.
However, Moscow wants broader security questions addressed as part of the negotiations, highlighting the continuing differences between the two sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Washington’s decision to involve European representatives, insisting that Europe’s security could not be discussed without its participation.
Russia’s delegation head, Vladimir Medinsky, said Moscow was willing to continue negotiations but questioned the need for separate discussions with European representatives.
He argued that the Ukraine conflict had exposed weaknesses in Europe’s existing security framework and called for a new security system that would not undermine the interests of any country.
Despite the lack of progress towards a ceasefire, the Russian delegation confirmed that an agreement had been reached on a major prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kyiv.
“The discussion will certainly continue,” Medinsky said, adding that Russia had yet to receive any concrete peace proposal from European countries.
Meanwhile, US envoys are expected to travel to Moscow on Thursday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They are also scheduled to meet Zelenskyy in Dublin, according to Jared Kushner.
The Abu Dhabi meeting marked the first trilateral negotiations involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States since February, when previous discussions ended in a stalemate.
