Trump’s Envoys Bring Ukraine and Russia to the Same Table This Week, the First Time Since February

For the first time since February, Ukraine and Russia are about to sit down at the same table, and it’s President Trump’s team that got them there.

Special envoy Jared Kushner announced Monday that he and Steve Witkoff will host two days of three-way talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi. “President Trump is determined to bring an end to this horrible war, which has caused enormous loss of life, destruction, and suffering,” Kushner wrote in a long post on 𝕏.

Europe gets briefed first

Before the talks start, Kushner said, the Americans will meet partners from Ukraine, the EU, NATO, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, “to continue the close consultation and coordination we have undertaken on European security and Ukraine’s postwar future over the past several weeks.”

The goal, in his words, is “to bring Ukraine and Russia together to discuss directly their postwar security concerns, proposals, and potential solutions.”

The four-part plan

Kushner said the work rests on four priorities:

Stop the fighting. Ending the war comes first.

Real security guarantees. He wants “credible postwar security guarantees and arrangements that reduce the risk of renewed conflict.”

A rebuilding plan. A “comprehensive economic and prosperity plan for Ukraine,” built with the EU and other European partners, aimed at private investment and long-term self-sufficiency.

Bringing people home. Humanitarian steps, “including the return of prisoners and civilians.”

He also wants every side thinking past the war itself. “By discussing postwar security, economic recovery, and the mechanisms needed to prevent future conflict, we hope to shift the focus from managing the war toward building the foundations for a durable peace,” he wrote.

Kyiv is on its way

Ukraine confirmed it’s in. Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s foreign intelligence service, posted Monday that the Ukrainian delegation was on its way to Abu Dhabi for three-way talks with the United States and Russia on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Umerov said Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission will also have people in Abu Dhabi for separate meetings. “I thank Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for their active engagement and work in preparing for the meetings,” he wrote.

Moscow confirmed it too. “What is set to take place in Abu Dhabi are trilateral negotiations between Russia and Ukraine under the mediation of the United States,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, according to AFP.

The Associated Press notes these are the first talks among Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators since February, in a full-scale war nearing the five-year mark, with security guarantees at the top of the agenda.

No promises, just a path

Kushner didn’t oversell it. “This is an extraordinarily difficult and complicated conflict,” he wrote. “We recognize the difficult decisions ahead and are approaching these discussions with determination and realism.”

The aim for this round, he said, is to “identify areas of common ground, advance practical solutions, and build momentum toward the next phase of negotiations.” A final deal, he added, will also take direct talks between Russia and Europe on the wider security setup, and he hopes Abu Dhabi opens the door to that.

Trump promised to end this war. This week his envoys get both sides in one room again.