Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi conclude, foreign media: Outcome remains unclear

The two-day negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, mediated by the United States, concluded today. The final meeting lasted less than two hours, while the outcome of the talks remains unclear.

Neither side has said whether any progress was made. These were the first direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives since February, as part of the new U.S. administration’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Consultations were also held in Abu Dhabi with representatives of Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, NATO and the European Union. They took place separately from the trilateral talks between the United States, Ukraine and Russia.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said that Moscow claimed to have already taken control of half of the part of Donbas currently controlled by Ukraine.

According to Zelensky, the Russian side said it had occupied half of the part of Donbas that remains under Ukrainian control. He said his team rejected the claim, stating that it did not know what it was based on and that it had video footage, photographs and other evidence proving that the territories continued to be controlled by Ukraine.

The Ukrainian president described the discrepancy between the positions of the two sides as one of the main obstacles to the negotiations. He added that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin “lives in a different reality.”

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts did not stop the attacks. Russia once again struck several regions of Ukraine with drones, damaging energy infrastructure, residential buildings, schools and kindergartens.