The second day of multilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States has begun in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The parties continue to work behind closed doors, discussing possible steps towards de-escalation and humanitarian issues, including the exchange of prisoners.
A new round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States has begun in the UAE capital, the head of the Ukrainian delegation and Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, announced on social media. According to him, the consultations are being held behind closed doors and are structured around several working formats.
As Umerov noted, the delegations continue to interact in the same way as the day before: trilateral meetings are held, parallel work is carried out by relevant groups, and the positions of the parties are subsequently agreed upon. He described the first day of negotiations as “substantive and productive,” adding that the discussion focused on practical steps and applied solutions.
Following the first stage of consultations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a prisoner exchange could take place in the near future. Earlier, he also indicated that in the second round, the parties intend to consider the Russian delegation’s proposals in detail. According to him, Kyiv is ready to support initiatives aimed at reducing tensions.
In addition to Umerov, the Ukrainian negotiating team includes the head of the president’s office, Kyrylo Budanov, his first deputy, Sergiy Kyslytsya, and other representatives. As in the previous round in February, the Russian delegation is headed by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
On the US side, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, businessman Jared Kushner, US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich are participating in the discussions.
One of the key topics of the negotiations remains the territorial issue. Zelensky previously stated that it cannot be discussed without direct dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow, in turn, emphasised that the agenda is broader and includes a number of other items, including security guarantees, which, according to the Russian side, were not agreed with it.
Initially, the second round was planned to be held on February 1 in a bilateral format, but the timing and configuration of the meeting were changed. The Kremlin explained the postponement by the need to coordinate the schedules of all three parties.
