A formal delegation from Ukraine held this Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) a meeting with envoys of the European Commission, NATO, and several European states, as a preliminary step to the resumption in Abu Dhabi of the trilateral talks with Russia and the United States, a format that had been suspended since February.
"We have started the work in the UAE," said the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence services, Rustem Umerov, in a message on social media, in which he specified that those present at the meeting were "representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission," to whom "the American envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will be added."
"We will compare positions and coordinate the steps to follow before the next stage of the negotiations," Umerov said, who stressed that after this meeting they will begin the tripartite meetings with the United States and Russia, scheduled for the coming minutes.
Thus, he emphasized that Kiev’s "fundamental priorities" in this process are "the cessation of hostilities, reliable security guarantees for the postwar period, economic recovery and the development of Ukraine, as well as the adoption of humanitarian measures." "We are working to achieve the maximum possible progress on these issues and bring peace closer," he said.
For his part, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, stated before the trilateral contacts that they will deal with "issues intended to ensure collective security in the region," as well as "guarantees that will be applied once a total and comprehensive agreement is reached," according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
This first meeting took place after Kushner himself highlighted on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump "is determined to put an end to this terrible war, which has caused an enormous loss of lives, destruction, and suffering."
"We are working intensively to find a negotiated solution that makes it possible to achieve lasting peace and create the conditions for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine, within the framework of a more stable European security environment," he said in a message published on social media.
On this line, Kushner confirmed that, within the framework of these two days of trilateral talks, he will also hold meetings with representatives of Ukraine, the European Union (EU), NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and Italy to "continue with the close consultation and coordination" regarding "European security and the future of Ukraine after the war."
"These are the first trilateral talks since February. Based on the consultations we have held separately with both sides, our goal is to bring Ukraine and Russia together so that they can directly discuss their security concerns, proposals, and possible solutions for the postwar period," he recalled.
"We hope that these dialogues will make it possible to identify areas of common ground, move forward with practical solutions, and generate momentum toward the next phase of the negotiations," said Kushner, who noted that in order to achieve "an inclusive and durable agreement," it is necessary "to have direct dialogue between Russia and European partners about the broader security frameworks that affect them."
For that reason, he expressed his hope that these talks in the UAE "lay the groundwork for that dialogue to begin in the near future, as part of a more extensive multilateral process," while insisting on the need for "all parties to begin seriously thinking about what will happen after the war."
"When debating security in the postwar period, economic recovery, and the mechanisms needed to prevent future conflicts, we expect to shift the focus, which currently centers on the management of the war, toward building the foundations for lasting peace," he argued.
"This is an extraordinarily difficult and complex conflict," he said. "We are aware of the complicated decisions ahead, and we approach these debates with determination and realism. Our aspiration is to achieve significant progress, draw up a practical roadmap, and help create the conditions necessary for lasting peace," he concluded.