Trump Says Good Dialogue Underway on Ukraine and Russia Issues

Summary

Trump said the US is having good conversations on Ukraine and Russia and sees a strong desire to end the war; Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Director Umerov confirmed preparatory talks have started in the UAE, with a first meeting involving UK, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and EU representatives plus US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, followed by Ukraine-Russia-US trilateral talks; Zelensky said battlefield progress has strengthened Kyiv's negotiating position.Zhitong+ 2

Impact Analysis

So the real read is that Trump is trying to package a diplomatic off-ramp while Kyiv is openly arguing its battlefield results improve its leverage. Zhitong+ 2 The structure matters: the first Abu Dhabi session brings UK, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and EU representatives before any Ukraine-Russia-US trilateral talks, so a settlement cannot look like a narrow bilateral deal without also testing European and NATO buy-in. Zhitong I would not trade this as a done deal. The stated agenda still covers cessation of hostilities, reliable post-war security, economic recovery, humanitarian arrangements and territory, meaning the hardest issues remain unresolved. Zhitong For portfolios, the useful signal is conditional risk compression: if the talks produce a concrete ceasefire/security framework, geopolitical tail-risk should fall; if they stall, the battlefield narrative keeps uncertainty around Ukraine, Russia and US mediation in play. Zhitong