Overview
- U.S.-mediated, two-day face-to-face talks in Abu Dhabi brought Russian and Ukrainian officials together this week but failed to resolve core issues over territory and security guarantees.
- Delegations agreed to an initial broad prisoner exchange as the sole concrete outcome and U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff said they will travel to Moscow before briefing Ukraine’s president in Dublin.
- Violence continued during and after the talks with reciprocal drone strikes and a later wave of Russian attacks that hit energy and transport infrastructure in multiple regions and caused civilian casualties.
- The Russian team was led by Vladimir Medinsky and included senior intelligence officers whom Ukrainian officials have accused of involvement in plots against Ukrainian personnel, underlining deep trust deficits at the table.
- Parallel developments complicate the outlook for diplomacy, including intensified Houthi missile and drone strikes on Saudi and Yemeni targets, WHO reporting large new displacement in Yemen, recent UK convictions of men accused of spying for Iran, and an Iranian court forwarding an execution order for a political prisoner.