A second round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US began in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The discussions emphasise the commitment of all three parties to the diplomatic process, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement carried by state news agency Wam.
The move also underlines the international community's confidence in the UAE's role in “facilitating dialogue and fostering a conducive environment for constructive talks led by US President Donald Trump”, the ministry added.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday “for the first time in a very long time, we have technical military teams from both Ukraine and Russia meeting in a forum that will also be involved with our experts”.
“It’s good that there’s engagement going on. I would also caution everyone that on things like this, because there are a lot of sensitivities involved in it, progress is probably not going to be known even in leaks, until we really have a breakthrough,” said Mr Rubio, speaking from Washington.
“One of the things to understand about having armed conflicts is oftentimes it looks totally hopeless until you have this breakthrough that sometimes is unforeseen.
“That was certainly the experience with Gaza, where a lot of people thought that was a hopeless situation, but we kept pushing, pushing and then circumstances aligned and made it possible.”
Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Wednesday that the first day of meetings in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian, Russian and US teams was "substantive and productive", reported Reuters.
"The work was substantive and productive, focusing on concrete steps and practical solutions," he said on the Telegram messaging app.
Earlier on Wednesday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, told the World Governments Summit in Dubai that the UAE was seen as a neutral venue to host the talks.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, we took a position to be on the side of international law,” Dr Gargash said. “But at the same time … not to take sides and to maintain relations with Ukraine and to maintain relations with Russia.”
He told the summit that about 20,000 Russians and 16,000 Ukrainians lived in the UAE when the war broke out, with the Emirates taking measures such as extending visas for Ukrainians.
“We were criticised heavily for doing that because everyone wanted us to take sides,” he said. “Why are you doing this? How come you are on Russia’s side? Our argument stood. What we really want to do is we want to be helpful rather than be just a number.”
He emphasised the UAE's humanitarian work and the mediation of prisoner swaps that created “a certain positive feeling about the UAE and about it being a sort of neutral venue”.
Substantive talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that his country was prepared for a substantive discussion when he spoke of this week's summit meeting in Abu Dhabi.
“We are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war. Thank you to everyone who is helping,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
The talks covered aspects of a framework intended to move the sides towards a ceasefire.
President Sheikh Mohamed had emphasised the UAE's support of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict on an official visit to Russia last week.
Sheikh Mohamed said he was proud to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin on “the humanitarian issue” of UAE-mediated prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, in remarks made after he was welcomed to the Kremlin.
“I would like to once again reaffirm that the UAE fully supports any efforts aimed at achieving political and diplomatic solutions to conflicts that would help all parties to establish peace, international harmony and stability,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
An opening round of talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US took place in Abu Dhabi last month.
US officials said the trilateral talks in the UAE had resulted in “substantial progress” between Russia and Ukraine.
“We've had a historic couple of days in Abu Dhabi,” said one US official.
The first round of talks, which featured aspects of a framework intended to move the sides towards a ceasefire, included the heads of delegations from the three countries, with the US represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
In their initial reactions to the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry and Mr Zelenskyy were receptive to further talks.
In a post of X, Mr Zelenskyy thanked the UAE for hosting the talks and said that “a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive”.
The central focus, he said, “was the possible parameters for ending the war”, adding that if all sides agree, a further round of talks would follow within a week.
The UAE has mediated 17 prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine since the war broke out, resulting in the release of 4,641 detainees.
“The discussions (in January) were conducted in a constructive and positive atmosphere and included direct engagement between Russian and Ukrainian representatives on outstanding elements of the peace framework proposed by the United States, as well as confidence-building measures aimed at supporting progress towards a comprehensive agreement,” a UAE government representative said in a statement shared with The National.
Mr Zelenskyy previously said the territorial dispute was a central issue for the talks in the UAE.
Russia has maintained its demand for Ukraine to give up its entire eastern area of Donbas. A senior aide of Mr Putin's said last month, after talks between the Russian President and US envoys, that there was no hope of ending the war until a resolution to the disagreements over territory is found.
