Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi produced an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange but no breakthrough on a ceasefire or territorial settlement. Subsequent meetings by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow and Dublin shifted attention to whether Europe should have a role in future negotiations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the envoys in Dublin on Thursday. He said discussions about Europe’s future security arrangements should follow an end to Russia’s war and the provision of security guarantees for Ukraine.
“A lot depends on when and how the war will end in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. He described Ukraine as already part of Europe’s security architecture and said the country’s potential NATO membership would affect how that architecture is shaped.
Whether European representatives will join future negotiations remains unsettled. US envoys have said Russian President Vladimir Putin would explore European involvement, but Moscow has not confirmed an agreement, according to Euronews reporting.
Moscow links negotiations to a wider security settlement
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal warned on Friday that debating Europe’s security arrangements before achieving peace could divert attention from ending the war. He called for continued European support for Ukraine and greater pressure on Russia.
Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, meanwhile, called for a comprehensive European security system resembling the postwar settlements at Yalta and Potsdam. He said Moscow would accept a peace agreement on its own terms and rejected giving up territory it has occupied in Ukraine.
The Abu Dhabi talks had been expected to focus on disputed territory and postwar security guarantees. A senior US official said both sides had shown some flexibility on territory, but no settlement followed. The prisoner exchange understanding was the clearest outcome reported from the meetings.
Russian attacks continued as diplomats met. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 117 drones overnight, while local authorities reported nine people killed and 61 injured across the country. Drone debris also started a fire at a Kyiv hospital, partially destroying its second floor.
Clayton Ward