Russia, Ukraine and US to meet as Zelenskyy claims battlefield successes

What the report says

Negotiators from Russia and Ukraine are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for US-brokered peace talks, according to Al Jazeera. The discussions would be the third round of meetings there this year and are being mediated by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner under President Donald Trump’s diplomatic push to end the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a nightly address that recent battlefield developments had improved Ukraine’s position. He said Russian forces were taking heavy losses and pointed to long-range Ukrainian strikes, including attacks on oil facilities inside Russia, as evidence of pressure on Moscow. Russia has disputed such claims. Zelenskyy also urged Washington to press the Kremlin toward ending the conflict.

Trump said in Washington that he saw a strong willingness to move toward a settlement and described the talks in Abu Dhabi as productive, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the process still had a long way to go. A US official, speaking anonymously, said both sides had shown some flexibility on territory and that security guarantees for Ukraine would be a major topic. Russia occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine, including Crimea and parts of the Donbas, and the core territorial dispute remains unresolved.

Al Jazeera reported that Ukraine’s delegation would be led by Rustem Umerov, while Russia’s team would be headed by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky. European officials are expected to be present in some capacity, but Russia has said the formal format is trilateral, with US mediation and no direct European role.