Russia, Ukraine and U.S. meet in Abu Dhabi to seek end to invasion

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday and Wednesday for talks aimed at ending Russia's 4 1/2-year-old full-scale invasion of Ukraine, though past sessions have yielded little progress toward peace. The talks follow a localized ceasefire reached in late October around the Russia-occupied town of Oleshky, brokered with intervention from U.S. first lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. Previous trilateral rounds in Abu Dhabi and Geneva have produced prisoner swaps but no breakthrough agreement. Since the invasion began on Feb. 24, 2022, negotiations have included early Belarus and Istanbul meetings, a 2022 grain deal, and numerous U.S.-mediated efforts in 2025-2026. A 28-point U.S.-Russian peace plan was reduced to 19 points in November 2025, with critics saying it favored Moscow.