Russia-Ukraine talks turn to post-war security but end without breakthrough

Trilateral discussions in Abu Dhabi between Russia, Ukraine and the US aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have concluded after a second day.

Key points

• According to Davyd Arakhamia from Ukraine's negotiating team, this round of negotiations – the first since February – "was one of the hardest."
• According to Both Moscow and Kyiv, a large-scale prisoner of war exchange was in the works and could be carried out shortly.
• For Kyiv, this may include reassurances that allies will come to its aid if Ukraine comes under attack again, despite the country not being a Nato member.
• Ukraine and Europe have long been concerned regarding the current US administration's commitment to European security and its softening towards the Kremlin.
• Although the American side remarked they saw "some openings", there was no hint of any breakthroughs to end the almost five year-long war sparked by Russia's invasion.

"I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion, " he remarked. But he continued that he felt "good momentum" and called on for a second round of discussions to be organised as shortly as feasible.

After the discussions it was unveiled that on Thursday US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – President Donald Trump's son-in-law – would travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then to Dublin to speak to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.

This latest round of discussions had been framed as centred around the "security architecture" of Europe.

For Moscow, it is projected to include a limit to the influence of Nato in eastern Europe – a central concern for the Kremlin since the alliance's eastward expansion.

While Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky stated the world needed a "new" and "fair" security system, earlier this week Kushner remarked the US hoped to "create a new framework" of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe that could "secure lasting peace".

Representatives of Britain, Nato and various EU countries were additionally in Abu Dhabi and met with US and Ukrainian negotiators, but the Kremlin – with whom the EU does not officially communicate – stated its delegation had not had any contact with them.

Although Europeans have long argued that they are central to any post-war dynamics on their continent, moscow has been dismissive of European involvement.

Plenty of – particularly in eastern Europe – feel their security is linked to that of Ukraine. Agreements cannot be implemented "if no consensus can be reached among Nato members, " a German administration spokesperson stated on Wednesday.

Kushner remarked the US was keen to bring the Europeans on board and stated that getting them "added to the format" would be on the agenda for his discussions with Putin.

As the Europeans and Kyiv would want, or whether the fighting only stops after an agreement has been reached, as the Kremlin has insisted, there is additionally disagreement on whether discussions on a future security framework should be preceded by a ceasefire.

Any agreement on a peacetime security framework, nevertheless, is contingent on the war ending, Kushner observed. But that cannot occur "until there's an agreement on territory and on all other bilateral issues, " he continued.

Since discussions began last year, a core obstacle to any settlement has been Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk. It is mostly occupied by Russia. While Kyiv wants to freeze the contact line to maintain control over those areas, moscow has demanded that Ukraine relinquish the parts of Donetsk it still holds.

While Zelensky's chief of staff and negotiator Kyrylo Budanov refused to be drawn on whether Russia was still demanding a Ukrainian withdrawal from the region, this matter was the "hardest", Kushner acknowledged.

"These deals are very hard and complex, and this one is very emotional, very complex, " Kushner remarked. "The reality is there is no trust right now between the sides and that is to be expected after a conflict like this."

For now, russia-Ukraine talks turn to post-war security but end without breakthrough remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.