US, Russia, and Ukraine resume talks in Abu Dhabi on security guarantees

Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators will hold talks in Abu Dhabi starting Tuesday, marking the first such meeting since February, to discuss security guarantees for both sides in the nearly five-year-old war. The two-day session follows failed negotiation rounds earlier this year and a localized truce in southern Ukraine brokered last month, though fierce fighting continues along the 1,200-kilometer front line with both sides escalating long-range drone and missile attacks. Russia demands Ukraine withdraw from four annexed regions, abandon NATO membership and accept military limits, while Ukraine rejects ceding territory and insists on Western security guarantees similar to NATO's Article 5, with European involvement opposed by Moscow.