Russia looks to be open to a dialogue with Ukraine. Russia said it will hold security talks with the U.S. and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Friday, but warned after a late-night meeting between President Vladimir Putin and three U.S. envoys that a durable peace would not be possible unless territorial issues were resolved.
Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are holding security talks in Abu Dhabi, marking a rare moment of direct trilateral engagement since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The talks, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, focus on security issues linked to the ongoing war and represent a cautious attempt to reopen structured diplomatic dialogue among the key parties involved.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the talks, which began shortly before midnight and lasted some four hours, had been “substantive, constructive and very frank”.
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The meeting follows recent diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Washington, after which all sides agreed to participate in discussions aimed at exploring potential paths toward de-escalation. While expectations for a major breakthrough remain low, the talks are significant because they bring Russian and Ukrainian representatives into the same forum with the United States acting as a central intermediary.
Ushakov said Russian Admiral Igor Kostyukov would head Moscow’s team at the three-way security talks, and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev would meet separately on economic issues with Steve Witkoff, the envoy of President Donald Trump.
“Most importantly, during these talks between our president and the Americans, it was reiterated that without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement,” he said, referring to last year’s Trump-Putin summit in Alaska.
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Key issues on the agenda include security guarantees, military stability, and the broader framework for ending the conflict. Russia has reiterated that territorial questions, particularly regarding eastern Ukraine, must be addressed as part of any settlement. Ukraine, however, maintains that its territorial integrity is non-negotiable and has emphasized the need for firm international security guarantees.
U.S. officials have described the talks as exploratory, stressing that they are intended to test whether limited common ground exists rather than to finalize a peace agreement. Analysts view the Abu Dhabi meeting as a confidence-building step, even if substantive progress proves difficult.
The talks underscore a possible shift toward cautious diplomacy after years of indirect communication and stalled negotiations. While deep divisions remain, the willingness of all three sides to engage suggests a growing recognition that military solutions alone are unlikely to end the conflict.