Russia and Ukraine Open First US-Mediated Talks in Nine Months

U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks opened in Abu Dhabi for a two-day round, the first trilateral negotiations since February, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner facilitating. The agenda includes ending hostilities, Ukraine’s postwar security guarantees and economic recovery, and humanitarian measures; Ukrainian negotiators also met European and NATO representatives beforehand to coordinate positions. The sides remain far apart: Vladimir Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw from four regions claimed by Russia, give up its NATO aspirations and limit its military, while Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected territorial concessions and restrictions on Ukraine’s defense and Western partnerships. President Donald Trump and U.S. officials have voiced cautious optimism, but a Ukrainian negotiator said expectations for the initial round are modest. Russian attacks and Moscow’s refusal of a long-term ceasefire cloud prospects for progress.