Abu Dhabi Talks Resume Search for Ukraine Settlement Amid Sharp Dispute Over Territory
Key Facts
U.S.-backed talks on Ukraine resumed in Abu Dhabi amid diverging positions on territory and security guarantees, Reuters and the Associated Press reported. A U.S. official told Reuters that negotiators believe Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin could accept a settlement in which each side gives up a little of its demands. But a senior Ukrainian official denied that his government would accept concessions of that kind. The official said the territorial issue could be discussed only at the leaders’ level and as part of appropriate security guarantees for Ukraine. The dispute puts territorial issues and security arrangements at the center of the round, which the White House said would last two days.
The positions start from opposing views on the sequence of steps toward a settlement. Ukraine says an immediate ceasefire must precede negotiations on a broader agreement, according to the Associated Press. Zelenskyy has also rejected voluntarily ceding territory. Putin, by contrast, is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from 4 regions Moscow declared annexed in September 2022, although it did not fully control them, the news agency reported. The dispute thus centers on the territory any settlement would cover and the guarantees that would accompany it.
A senior Ukrainian official told Reuters that discussion of territory should be limited to the leaders’ level and tied to appropriate security guarantees. The position reflects Kyiv’s refusal to make territorial concessions in talks conducted solely by negotiators. The U.S. official who spoke to Reuters said Washington sees a possibility of a settlement in which both sides give up a little, a view the Ukrainian official rejected on behalf of his government. The reported statements offered no publicly stated common basis for determining or guaranteeing any concession. Security remains directly linked to the territorial dispute in the current discussion.
European capitals are taking part in consultations on the sidelines of the round, but not in the negotiations themselves, according to Reuters. France, Germany and the European Commission were due to send officials to Abu Dhabi, while Moscow said it did not want Europeans to take part in the negotiations. Reuters reported that the Ukrainian delegation would meet its European allies separately to brief them on progress. This places Europe on a parallel track to the talks, even though the security arrangements under discussion could extend to it. Trump said a broader security agreement was under discussion and could include Europe.
Trump envoy Jared Kushner said a sustainable settlement requires direct communication between Russia and European partners on security arrangements. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said Moscow welcomed putting collective security at the top of the agenda for talks on a settlement in Ukraine. The statements present collective security as a main subject, while disagreement continues over who will help shape the arrangements. Within the European Union, some view Washington’s proposals as offering major concessions to Moscow, according to the Associated Press. That objection underscores the sensitivity of any security or territorial formula put forward in the round.
The round comes after negotiations began moving again in recent weeks, following months in which Washington’s attention was focused on the war in Iran, according to Reuters. The three previous rounds early in the year, however, made no tangible progress toward ending the war, according to the Associated Press. On the ground, Russian forces’ advance along the battle lines slowed to near a halt this year, Reuters reported. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had retaken some territory in Donetsk and that their battlefield performance strengthened Kyiv’s negotiating position. Reuters says the potential U.S. proposal includes ending the war, security guarantees and a roadmap for Ukraine to join the European Union.