A new round of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Key Participants
The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, along with Davyd Arakhamia, a lawmaker from Ukraine’s delegation. The Russian side is headed by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by senior military and intelligence officers.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff will lead American participation, joined by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former U.S. President Donald Trump and current U.S. special envoy.
Topics of Discussion
Potential discussion areas include post-war security arrangements, de-escalation measures, humanitarian efforts, prisoner exchanges, and preparations for future meetings among the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia.
European Involvement
Separate formats are planned with several European representatives: Günter Sautter (foreign policy adviser to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz), Emmanuel Bonne (head of Elysee Palace's diplomatic service), Jonathan Powell (UK national security advisor), Fabrizio Saggio (diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni), Björn Seibert (Chief of Staff for President Ursula von der Leyen at the European Commission), and Geoffrey van Leeuwen (Chief of Staff for NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte).
However, it is unlikely that these European officials will have formal influence over negotiations on a potential peace deal. Hanna Shelest from Ukrainian Prism believes they would serve only in an observing capacity.
Russian Strategy and Expert Analysis
Shelest notes that Russia has historically resisted including Europeans in talks to maintain the perception that discussions are between 'two superpowers'—Russia and the United States—and to exert pressure on Washington.
In her view, Medinsky’s involvement signals a demonstration of willingness to negotiate, but not necessarily agreement. She adds that past negotiations under Medinsky have often resulted in lengthy speeches about history rather than tangible outcomes.
She sees the inclusion of high-ranking Russian intelligence officials as a positive sign of engagement, though she remains skeptical of concrete results and suspects Russia may be using these talks to delay progress.
Oleshky Truce as a Model
The temporary truce brokered in late October at Oleshky—a town in occupied Kherson region—has been cited by some experts as a potential template for broader humanitarian ceasefires across Ukraine.
Ivan Us, chief consultant at Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies, acknowledges that such limited pauses could serve as models but warns that during this pause, Russia continued attacks and used the time to strengthen its positions around Oleshky.
U.S. First Lady Melania Trump is credited with facilitating the initial Oleshky truce, which allowed civilians to evacuate and enabled humanitarian aid delivery.
Statements on Future Agreements
In late October, former President Donald Trump suggested a 'big beautiful agreement' involving all of Europe after speaking with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Jared Kushner later clarified on social media that any new security architecture would center on permanent security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for long-term European stability.
Hanna Shelest criticized this proposal as repetitive—stating these points have been discussed since 2009—and questioned whether the talks will yield real progress or merely serve as diplomatic theater.