Russia and Ukraine resume US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi

Russia and Ukraine began a second day of US-brokered peace talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, after their first three-way meeting in nine months ended with cautious optimism but no breakthrough. Tuesday’s session lasted about four hours and was mediated by Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff. Russia’s team was led by chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, and Ukraine’s by intelligence chief Rustem Umerov. The two sides discussed a possible large-scale prisoner exchange, the return of detained civilians and children taken from Ukraine, and security guarantees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the talks “constructive and quite substantive.” Kushner said there were “some good ideas how to bridge” the differences. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the talks “very productive” but urged patience, saying a solution was not imminent. The two sides remain far apart. Moscow wants Ukraine to pull out of four regions Russia claims but has not fully captured, give up its bid to join NATO and accept limits on its armed forces. Kyiv rejects giving up territory, wants an immediate ceasefire first, and says land can only be discussed at a direct meeting between Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin. Fighting continued overnight, with Russia launching 162 drones and a ballistic missile at Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s air force.