Russia and Ukraine Talk in Abu Dhabi, but Who Shapes the Peace?

US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine opened in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, the first direct negotiations between the two sides since February. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, the US envoys leading the mediation, brought the delegations together for several hours.

Kushner said the US had "narrowed the gaps" and hoped to "create the right security relationships between Ukraine and Russia and Europe so that not only we end this war, we create a new framework and a new understanding."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the talks "constructive and quite substantive." The sessions are set to continue Wednesday and focus on security guarantees, post-war security arrangements, de-escalation and humanitarian efforts.

European officials from Britain, France, Germany and Italy are attending, defying Kremlin objections. Days before the talks, the Kremlin had insisted there could be no role for European powers at the meeting. France's foreign minister said Sunday that European officials would turn up regardless.

As the Abu Dhabi talks got underway, G7 foreign ministers met in Paris with Ukraine's foreign minister.

The diplomatic activity points to a larger contest over the shape of any settlement. Kushner's language about a "new framework" for security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe describes an architecture that would outlast the war. If Washington brokers that framework with limited European input, it could reshape the continent's security order for decades. European capitals have said they fear the US may cut a deal with Moscow over their heads.

The outcome will determine whether the war ends on terms Ukraine and its allies can accept, or whether a fragile pause sets the stage for future conflict.

The talks continue Wednesday.