US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of trilateral negotiations as very productive as officials seek to include Europe.
Trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US resumed in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to address the ongoing war. The discussions mark the first negotiations between the two warring nations since February, according to reports from BBC News and Hindustan Times.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the first day of talks as "very productive" while speaking in Paris. He stated that Washington hopes to eventually expand the trilateral format to include European partners to solve the problem for the long term.
The US delegation included Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Kushner noted on X that the talks would focus on addressing the postwar security concerns of both Russia and Ukraine.
A US official suggested that while public positions remain far apart, Moscow and Kyiv have privately shown "a little bit of flexibility" regarding control of Ukraine's eastern regions. However, the official noted that the Donetsk issue cannot be solved without discussing a new security architecture.
The Russian delegation included Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, deputy foreign ministers Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin, spy chief Igor Kostyukov, and army general Yury Zhigarlovsky. The Ukrainian team featured Foreign Intelligence Service head Rustem Umerov, chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov, and MP Davyd Arakhamiya.
Talks are scheduled to resume on Wednesday in the UAE capital.
