The Abu Dhabi Peace Talks Meet Serious Problems 🌍📜

Discussions involving US, Russian and Ukrainian officials are taking place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the latest step in the Trump administration’s attempts to push through a peace deal to end the conflict in Ukraine. ☎️

The White House spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, put an optimistic spin on the talks, claiming the US had made “tremendous progress” on finding a resolution. There were “a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details” that needed to be ironed out which would require further talks, she said in a post on X. ✨

However, there was no sign that big issues such as territorial concessions or future security guarantees had been agreed in discussions between Ukrainian and US officials, nor was there any suggestion that a revised US-Ukraine agreement discussed in Geneva on Sunday would be something to which Russia would agree. 😕

Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Tuesday that they were close to accepting a framework of a deal with the US but said some details could only be discussed at presidential level. 🔍

“Our delegations reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva,” Rustem Umerov, the secretary of Ukraine’s security council, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

“We look forward to organising a visit of Ukraine’s president to the US at the earliest suitable date in November to complete final steps and make a deal with President Trump.” 🚀

The issue of territorial concessions was not covered by the agreement, according to Keir Starmer. 🏛‍

“My understanding is this is not a new agreement, it is Ukraine confirming they are happy with the draft that emerged in Geneva yesterday, which of course doesn’t cover the question of territory,” the UK prime minister told parliament on Tuesday. 🗳

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that any amended peace plan would have to reflect the “spirit and letter” of what Trump and Putin discussed at their summit in Alaska in August. 🤝

After the Geneva talks, the US army secretary, Dan Driscoll, met a Russian delegation on Monday night in the Gulf emirate, and talks continued into Tuesday. 🧐

“The talks are going well and we remain optimistic. Secretary Driscoll is closely synchronised with the White House (...) as these talks progress,” his spokesperson told Reuters. 📊

Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Budanov, was also expected to participate in the talks, the Financial Times reported, though it was not clear whether there would be direct talks with Moscow’s representatives or separate bilateral talks with Driscoll. 💬

“Zelenskyy gave an overview of the latest situation. The future of Ukraine is for Ukraine to decide, and European security is for Europe to decide,” Stubb wrote on X. 👇

Zelensky also spoke to Starmer on Tuesday, while the French president Macron, cautioned against a peace deal that would be a “capitulation” for Ukraine. 🙈

“What was put on the table gives us an idea of what would be acceptable for the Russians. Does that mean that it is what must be accepted by the Ukrainians and the Europeans? The answer is no,” Macron said. 🖋

Driscoll, who is a university friend of the US vice-president, JD Vance, and has recently assumed a leading role in Ukraine negotiations, travelled to Kyiv to brief Zelensky on the plan and demand he sign up to it within days. 📆

The pressure, combined with the leaking of the plan, took Ukrainian and European officials by surprise. Zelenskyy said on Friday that the country was facing one of the most difficult moments in its history and was being forced to choose between “losing our dignity or losing a key ally”. 📌

“The sensitive issues, the most delicate points, I will discuss with President Trump,” Zelenskyy said on Monday night, hailing progress in the plan. 🌟

For all Driscoll’s optimism,however, the Kremlin has shown little interest in compromising on its maximalist goals in the conflict. 🦸

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