Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet again in Abu Dhabi for a third round of peace talks this year, with the United States acting as the mediator. The meeting follows earlier consultations in January and February and is part of Washington’s ongoing effort to broker a settlement to the conflict that began in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a nightly video address, said that recent military gains have strengthened Ukraine’s negotiating position. He claimed that Russian forces were suffering record losses and that Ukraine’s long‑range strikes on Russian targets, including oil facilities, were having a tangible effect. Zelenskyy urged the United States to persuade Moscow that the war must end.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, have led the mediation effort. Trump told reporters that both sides were “tired of fighting” and that there was a “very strong inclination” toward ending the war. He reiterated his promise to end the conflict quickly, a pledge he made when he took office in January 2025.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that both Russia and Ukraine had privately shown some flexibility on a possible exchange of territory. Security guarantees for Ukraine would be a central topic, including the possibility of a defence commitment modeled on Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty. The official added that any territorial agreement would most likely come at the end of the negotiations, once other issues, such as a post‑war security framework, had been settled.
Ukraine insists on a return to the pre‑war borders, while Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks control over the entire Donbas region. Russia currently occupies roughly 20 % of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of eastern Donbas, a move that has not been recognised by the international community.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned that the process to end the war still has “a ways to go,” but the U.S. remains committed to continuing the dialogue.
Source: Al Jazeera
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