Ukraine and Russia have privately shown some willingness to compromise on territory, a senior US official has said, as a fresh round of talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war opened in Abu Dhabi today.
The official, who briefed reporters in Washington on November 9, gave no details, according to Reuters. Any territorial deal would probably come last, once post-war security arrangements had been agreed, the official said.
The official claimed to see “real desire on the Russian side to finish” for the first time.
On November 9, US President Donald Trump suggested Ukraine could emerge from the war in “a little bit different shape”, without specifying what territorial changes he meant.
Moscow has demanded that Kyiv recognise Russian control of Crimea and of four regions it claims to have annexed: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. It has also insisted Ukraine withdraw from all four, including areas never occupied, which Kyiv has rejected.
The Abu Dhabi round began with a meeting between the Ukrainian delegation and representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission, joined by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The first trilateral talks with Moscow since February followed, Russian State news agency TASS reported.
Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service and its chief negotiator, said the sides would align their positions before the next stage. He listed Kyiv’s priorities as ending hostilities, post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and humanitarian steps.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X his team would propose de-escalation measures. He also called for a meeting of the Ukrainian, Russian and US leaders.
The European Union sent a joint team led by Björn Seibert, head of cabinet to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Anna-Maria Boura, an adviser to European Council President António Costa. The EU presence came after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to Costa on November 5 demanding that the bloc decide who speaks for it and with what mandate. Costa said he would discuss the matter at an informal European Council in Dublin on November 13.
According to US media, Washington and Moscow discussed security guarantees for Ukraine modelled on NATO’s Article 4, on consultation, and Article 5, on collective defence. The official also reportedly floated reviving the NATO-Russia Council, suspended since 2022, and a sanctions snapback mechanism should Moscow break a ceasefire.
Russian strikes continued meanwhile. In his evening address on November 9, Zelensky accused Moscow of trying to split the country along the Dnipro River by targeting bridges and the power grid.
Washington cautioned against expecting an immediate breakthrough. Kushner said the talks could build momentum towards the next phase, calling the conflict as extremely difficult and complicated.
