Russia, Ukraine and US meet for Abu Dhabi talks as Trump says war can 'end soon'
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war → meet → talks
American, Ukrainian and Russian representatives gathered in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their latest round of trilateral peace talks, with President Donald Trump's administration seeking a diplomatic breakthrough after 1,721 days of Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
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administration → gather → neighbor
Trump -- who came to office vowing to end the war within 24 hours -- has thus far been unable to force a breakthrough.
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who → come → breakthrough
His chief negotiating envoys, Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are leading the U.S. delegation in Abu Dhabi this week.
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envoys → negotiate → Dhabi
On Monday, Trump struck a positive tone when discussing the coming meeting.
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Trump → strike → meeting
"They talk about wars, Ukraine and Russia.
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They → talk → wars
And by the way, we're having a very good conversation about that in Abu Dhabi," the president said.
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president → have → Dhabi
"Ukraine and Russia are tired of fighting.
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Ukraine → fight → ?
They're tired of seeing dead young soldiers," Trump added.
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Trump → see → soldiers
A source in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office told ABC News that Kyiv's delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service and its lead representative in previous rounds of talks.
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delegation → tell → talks
Among those accompanying him are Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelenskyy's office, and Davyd Arakhamia, the head of Zelenskyy's party in the Ukrainian parliament.
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Budanov → accompany → parliament
The Russian delegation is led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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Peskov → lead → Medinsky
Also attending are Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov, the head of Russia's foreign military intelligence agency, Igor Kostyukov, and Sergei Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister, Peskov said.
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Peskov → attend → agency
The first U.S.-brokered trilateral meeting was held in Geneva in February 2026, but this year has seen little diplomatic progress, with both camps still far apart on key issues.
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camps → hold → issues
The negotiations have secured some prisoner-of-war exchanges and short-lived, localized ceasefires.
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negotiations → secure → exchanges
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that this week's talks will put "security issues concerning Russia, Ukraine and the region as a whole" at the top of the agenda.
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talks → say → agenda
The participants would also work toward "agreeing on principles that could be approved following consultations on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in Ukraine," Lavrov said.
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Lavrov → work → Ukraine
Zelenskyy said Monday that he had spoken with European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen ahead of the talks.
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he → say → talks
Both the French and German foreign ministers also said they would be participating in the Abu Dhabi meetings, though Peskov maintained that the talks would remain trilateral in format.
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talks → say → format
A statement posted to the Ukrainian presidential website said Kyiv "is doing everything to ensure that the trilateral format delivers results."
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format → post → results
Delegation head Umerov, meanwhile, said in a post to Telegram on Tuesday morning that Kyiv's team is prioritizing "ending hostilities, reliable post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and development of Ukraine, and humanitarian measures."
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team → say → Ukraine
With the war approaching its fifth anniversary, the two combatants appear far apart on a potential settlement.
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combatants → approach → settlement
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly rejected U.S.-Ukrainian proposals for a ceasefire under which a final settlement could be negotiated.
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settlement → reject → which
Moscow is demanding that Ukraine withdraw from four contested regions -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson -- the Kremlin claimed to have annexed in September 2022, after referendums that the international community largely refused to recognize.
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community → demand → that
Putin also wants Ukraine permanently barred from NATO and to face limits on the size and capabilities of its military.
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Ukraine → want → military
Zelenskyy has said Ukraine cannot agree to any deal that does not include concrete security guarantees from the U.S. and other NATO allies to protect against renewed Russian aggression.
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that → say → aggression
Kyiv, Zelenskyy said, must also retain the right to constitute its own armed forces and choose its own future security arrangements, including membership of NATO.
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Zelenskyy → say → NATO
The Ukrainian leader has refused Russian demands to cede territory not controlled by Moscow's forces.
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leader → refuse → forces
Since Trump returned to office, U.S.-Ukrainian ties have at times been fraught.
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ties → return → times
The president has repeatedly pressured Zelenskyy to make concessions to Moscow in pursuit of a peace deal.
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president → pressure → deal
Trump has described Zelenskyy at times as a "dictator" and criticized Kyiv for delaying planned elections, which constitutionally cannot be held while the country is under martial law.
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country → describe → law
Trump has suspended U.S. financial and military aid to Ukraine, instead demanding that other NATO allies purchase American arms intended for Ukraine's use.
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allies → suspend → use
Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to the U.S. to provide more ammunition for its Patriot surface-to-air missile systems in particular, the systems key to Ukrainian efforts to blunt escalating Russian drone and ballistic missile strikes.
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Kyiv → appeal → strikes
In March, Trump threatened to expand sanctions and tariffs on Russia in a bid to push Moscow to the negotiating table.
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Trump → threaten → table
Ultimately Trump failed to do so, and in the lead-up to this month's midterm elections struck a deal with Putin to import cargoes of Russian diesel -- a move that prompted criticism from domestic opponents, foreign allies and Kyiv.
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that → fail → opponents
Trump told CBS News' "60 Minutes" program on Sunday that he still believes an agreement to end Russia's full-scale invasion is possible.
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agreement → tell → invasion
"I believe that that war is going to end and it's going to end soon.
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it → believe → ?
And the only reason it's going to end is because of me," Trump said.
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Trump → go → me
Trump also appeared to imply that he was open to changes in Ukraine's borders as part of a peace agreement, saying that the country will end up with "a little bit different shape Ukraine."
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country → appear → shape
Trump said the enmity between Putin and Zelenskyy was the prime obstacle to a deal: "There's tremendous hatred," he said.
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he → say → deal
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
