Washington: The United States will begin talks with Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, seeking to bring Europe into a broader peace process and link a territorial settlement to security guarantees aimed at preventing another war.
US officials said the meetings would address ceasefire monitoring, territorial disputes and post-war security. They cautioned that the most difficult questions would remain unresolved when the talks ended.
“So, we don’t expect to resolve these questions in Abu Dhabi, but we want to get that process started again,” a US official told reporters during a background briefing on Monday.
Washington also sees a possible role for sanctions in enforcing an eventual agreement and wants to revive NATO-Russia consultations to improve communication and help manage future disputes.
The immediate goal is to clarify each side’s position, identify differences and give negotiators a clearer understanding of the decisions their leaders would need to make.
US officials said contacts with Russian and Ukrainian representatives had become daily, sometimes taking place several times a day. The discussions have focused on practical proposals and ways to bridge gaps.
Washington wants to expand the three-country negotiating format to include European partners. Ukraine and European governments support that approach, the official said, but Russia’s agreement has yet to be secured.
Representatives from Germany, France, Britain and Italy, alongside NATO, Ukraine and the European Union, are expected to consult before the trilateral meetings. They will discuss security guarantees and arrangements intended to reduce the risk of renewed conflict.
The first negotiating session will cover ceasefire monitoring and post-war security. A second will address territory and other outstanding questions.
Russia’s public position is to seek all of Donetsk (a city in eastern Ukraine), while Ukraine favours using the existing contact line, according to the briefing. The official said both sides had shown some flexibility privately but did not describe possible concessions.
Neither Russia nor Ukraine presented its position directly during the call. The assessments of their intentions came from the US side.
American negotiators regard territorial decisions and post-war security as inseparable. They expect the two to be settled together, with negotiations proceeding on parallel tracks.
Proposals include security consultations, crisis communications, military transparency and reciprocal measures to ease tensions. The aim is to address concerns that either side could use a ceasefire to rearm for another war.
The official said Washington wanted to reactivate the NATO-Russia Council and strengthen its role as a channel for communication, de-escalation and future conflict resolution.
Washington has also raised with Moscow the possibility of giving Ukraine a security guarantee resembling NATO’s Article Four and Article Five provisions, alongside a similar commitment from NATO.
Any American guarantee would require President Donald Trump’s approval. The official said resources, funding and military support could be discussed as part of a final deal, but no commitment was announced.
Trump wants Europe to carry the financial burden of supporting Ukraine’s security, the official said.
Sanctions could become another means of sustaining an agreement. The official suggested they might be used over time to encourage Russian compliance, with provisions allowing restrictions to return if Moscow violated the deal. No detailed sanctions arrangement was presented.
A separate effort involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners is examining military needs, affordable defence spending, investment and economic recovery. That work is outside the trilateral negotiations.
The official said the World Bank was leading work on reforms needed to support Ukraine’s recovery. Humanitarian issues and possible measures to ease tensions would also remain under discussion.
Officials set no deadline for a final agreement or a meeting between Trump and the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.
“But I do say that we are now cautiously optimistic. We see very promising signs,” the official said.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, widening a conflict that began in 2014, when Moscow seized and annexed Crimea. Fighting in eastern Ukraine and disputes over territory have remained central to the conflict.
(IANS)
