Trilateral talks to end war in Ukraine to start in UAE

The trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine are set to resume on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with security and a ceasefire at the top of the agenda.

The talks, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, mark the first face-to-face meetings since negotiations stalled in February.

The three sides have said the talks will focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian action and the next steps toward peace.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that discussions, as described by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, would cover the security of Russia, Ukraine and the wider region, and that Moscow welcomed Washington's position on security guarantees.

Lavrov also explained why Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was added to the delegation, saying Ryabkov handles NATO-related and arms control affairs and has long worked on European security and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe matters.

Earlier on Monday, Rustem Umerov, head of the Ukrainian negotiating delegation and head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service, announced on Telegram that the Ukrainian negotiating team was heading to the UAE for the talks.

Representatives of European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, as well as officials from NATO and the European Commission, will also be present in Abu Dhabi, he said.

Umerov added that Ukraine plans to hold separate coordination meetings with its European partners.

"Our goal is a long-term and sustainable peace, guaranteed security for Ukraine, and real opportunities for Ukraine's post-war recovery," he said.

The European Union will participate in the negotiations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.