Politics1 min read

Russia, Ukraine and US to meet as Zelenskyy claims battlefield successes

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will guide the Abu Dhabi talks, which follow earlier diplomatic sessions held in the United Arab Emirates and Geneva. Although both nations have quietly signaled potential flexibility on territorial claims, formal boundary disputes are set to be postponed until after security protocols are established. Delegations plan to explore defense assurances for Ukraine modeled closely on NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense provision. European observers will be in Abu Dhabi, but Moscow has insisted they remain barred from the formal negotiating chamber.

Key points

  • Diplomatic discussions will prioritize establishing Article 5-style security guarantees b…: Diplomatic discussions will prioritize establishing Article 5-style security guarantees before formal territorial compromises are addressed.
  • Ukrainian leadership believes long-range strikes against Russian oil facilities have mate…: Ukrainian leadership believes long-range strikes against Russian oil facilities have materially reinforced its posture ahead of the talks.
  • The Kremlin has strictly limited active participation in the negotiating room to the Unit…: The Kremlin has strictly limited active participation in the negotiating room to the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Zelenskyy claims Russia ‘suffering record losses’ as Trump says US seeing ‘strong inclination’ to end war in Ukraine.

Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are set to meet for peace talks brokered by the United States in Abu Dhabi, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that recent gains on the battlefield had strengthened his country’s hand.

The meeting in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday will be the third round of talks there this year, following security consultations in January and February. The US side is led by US President Donald Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have spearheaded Washington’s mediation.

The three delegations last met in Geneva on February 18.

“Ukrainian forces are currently genuinely strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Monday. He said Russia was “suffering record losses”, a claim Moscow disputes, and urged Washington to persuade the Kremlin to end the war.

Zelenskyy said General Mykhailo Drapatyi had presented a report on Ukraine’s military positions that pointed to heavy recent Russian losses, and that Ukraine’s long-range strikes…

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