Russia-Ukraine Talks End in Abu Dhabi Without Breakthrough

Trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States concluded in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday without a breakthrough on ending the nearly five-year war, though both sides confirmed a large-scale prisoner exchange is in the works, according to the BBC. American officials said they saw "some openings" during the second day of discussions, but neither delegation signaled any agreement on the core issue under negotiation: a postwar security framework for Europe.

What did the two sides say after talks broke up?

Davyd Arakhamia, a member of Ukraine's negotiating team, called the session "one of the hardest" since talks resumed for the first time since February, the BBC reported. "I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion," Arakhamia said. He added that he felt "good momentum" and pressed for a second round to be scheduled as soon as possible.

Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky struck a more guarded tone. "Right now... a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the US, and on whether Europe comes to its senses," Medinsky said, according to the BBC. The contrast between Arakhamia's call for urgency and Medinsky's conditional language illustrates the gap that remains between the two delegations even after two days of talks.

What happens next, and who is traveling where?

Following the Abu Dhabi session, organizers announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — President Donald Trump's son-in-law — will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, then continue to Dublin for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the BBC reported. The shuttle format underscores that Washington, rather than a joint venue, remains the conduit between the two capitals for now.

Kushner said this week the US hopes to "create a new framework" of security among Ukraine, Russia and Europe that could "secure lasting peace." Medinsky, for his part, said the world needs a "new" and "fair" security system, one he compared to "a new Yalta and Potsdam" — a reference to the 1940s summits where Allied powers divided postwar Europe into spheres of influence, according to the BBC.

What is the status of the prisoner exchange?

Both Moscow and Kyiv confirmed after the Abu Dhabi round that a large-scale prisoner-of-war exchange is being arranged and could happen soon, the BBC reported. No date, location or number of prisoners was specified in the available reporting. The exchange stands as the one concrete, mutually acknowledged outcome of the two-day session, even as the broader security negotiations stalled.

Why is a security framework the central sticking point?

The talks were framed around the "security architecture" of Europe, a term both sides are using but defining differently, according to the BBC. For Kyiv, that likely means assurances that allies would respond militarily if Ukraine were attacked again, despite the country not holding Nato membership. For Moscow, a reworked framework is expected to include limits on Nato's presence in eastern Europe — a grievance the Kremlin has voiced since the alliance's eastward expansion began. Those two definitions are not obviously compatible, which helps explain why two days of talks produced no breakthrough on the issue both delegations say is central.

Where does Europe fit into the negotiations?

Representatives from Britain, Nato and several EU countries attended the Abu Dhabi round and met separately with US and Ukrainian negotiators, the BBC reported. But the Kremlin delegation said it had no contact with the Europeans present, consistent with the fact that the EU does not officially communicate with Moscow. A German government spokesperson said Wednesday that any agreement could not be implemented "if no consensus can be reached among Nato members," according to the BBC — a direct challenge to any deal struck without full alliance buy-in.

Kushner said Washington wants the Europeans brought into the process and that getting them "added to the format" would be on the agenda when he meets Putin on Thursday, the BBC reported. Whether that happens, and in what form, is likely to shape whether the Moscow and Dublin meetings produce more than the Abu Dhabi round did.

The next test comes Thursday, when Witkoff and Kushner carry whatever ground was gained in Abu Dhabi directly to Putin and then to Zelensky — the first time this round of diplomacy will put US negotiators face to face with both heads of state on consecutive stops.