U.S.-Russia-Ukraine trilateral ceasefire talks in Abu Dhabi end first day with no progress

Ukraine and Russia on the 23rd (local time) launched face-to-face trilateral ceasefire talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), mediated by the United States, but the first day ended without progress as they failed to narrow differences over the territory of Donbas.

According to Reuters and other outlets, negotiating teams made up of senior officials from each of the three countries met that day in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and head of the Ukrainian delegation, said in a statement after the meeting—without elaborating—that the sides discussed the conditions for ending the war and the direction of the process going forward. They agreed to continue talks on the second day, the 24th.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that “the key is that Russia must be prepared to end the war,” adding, “I think it is still too early to draw conclusions about what was discussed today.” He continued, “I will watch how tomorrow’s dialogue unfolds and what results emerge.”

The central sticking point in the ceasefire discussions was, as expected, the issue of “Donbas.” After the meeting, Rustem Umerov wrote on X that “the meeting focused on the conditions for ending Russia’s war and on the future logic of the negotiating process toward a dignified and sustainable peace.”

The UK daily The Guardian reported that the Russian delegation was led by Igor Kostyukov, head of Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), suggesting the talks were likely weighted more toward military negotiations than political ones.

Meanwhile, Russia did not halt attacks on Ukraine even as the trilateral meeting was under way.

AFP reported that Ukraine announced that three people were killed in Russian airstrikes in the Kharkiv region that day, and four others—including a 5-year-old child—were killed in the east.

Lee Seul-gi, Hankyung.com reporter seulkee@hankyung.com