US and Russia Hold Ukraine Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi, Europe Excluded

Peace talks on the war in Ukraine began in Abu Dhabi, with Ukraine meeting US and European envoys first, followed by a separate US-Russia session without European participation. The US envoy Witkoff stressed coordination with Ukraine and European allies for durable peace and security guarantees, but Russia insisted on trilateral talks only with Ukraine and US mediators. This marks the first direct Russia-Ukraine talks since February, though breakthroughs are not expected. European officials fear US concessions on their security interests, especially after Trump suggested Ukraine's borders may change. Russia maintains its demand for Ukraine to cede the entire Donbas region, while Kyiv rejects this. Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continued during the talks.