US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi as “very productive”, although he warned that significant work remained.
According to Reuters, Rubio said Washington hoped to eventually expand the negotiations to include other European representatives.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also welcomed the first day of discussions, calling the trilateral meeting “constructive and quite substantive”.
Speaking during a visit to Denmark on Tuesday, Zelenskyy said negotiators had discussed humanitarian issues, including prisoner exchanges and the return of Ukrainian children, alongside security guarantees.
“The trilateral format was constructive and quite substantive,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
He said he had instructed Ukrainian negotiators to continue discussions with Russian and American representatives, with further talks scheduled for Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy met Nordic leaders in Copenhagen to discuss military assistance, air defence systems and protecting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.
Denmark announced an additional $720 million in military assistance, although details of the equipment and delivery schedule were not disclosed.
The Abu Dhabi negotiations come amid continued fighting, with no peace agreement announced.
