Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet face to face for the first time in nine months, and Witkoff says gaps have narrowed

Russian and Ukrainian officials met US envoys in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for the first peace talks between the two sides in nine months, and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff said gaps between them have narrowed¹.

The Ukrainian and Russian delegations sat across from each other at a conference table, with US representatives Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, mediating^2,3. The United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, appeared alongside Witkoff at the opening².

Before meeting the Russian side, the Ukrainian delegation met first with European and NATO officials⁵. Kushner said in a post on X that he and Witkoff were “working hard to find a negotiated” settlement⁶.

Why it matters to investors

Europe gained a formal role in one strand of the process. According to two near-identical statements, one from Witkoff and another from the European Council, the US and Europe agreed to review postwar security on the continent as the talks began⁴.

The US side is aiming high. US officials said they seek a “final end” to the war, and part of the Trump administration’s proposal involves drawing a new “long-term security architecture” involving Russia⁸.

There are signs of movement on the hardest issue. Ukraine and Russia reportedly showed “a little bit of flexibility” on territory as the talks began⁷. Trump suggested Ukraine could emerge from the war with “a little bit different shape”, without specifying what he meant⁷.

Any agreement on borders and security guarantees would bear on sanctions, European defence spending and energy markets.

What to watch

The first test is whether Witkoff’s claim that gaps have narrowed is borne out by either delegation¹.

The second is territory. Trump’s remark about a “different shape” for Ukraine and the reported flexibility on land suggest that borders are under discussion, but no details have been given⁷.

The third is Europe’s place at the table. The joint review of postwar security agreed by the US and the European Council will show whether European governments become a party to any settlement^4,5.

The US envoys will also have to reconcile the security architecture they have proposed with Russian positions^2,8. The presence of the UAE foreign minister at the opening session also gives the Gulf state a visible role as the venue for the process².