The Ukrainian delegation at talks with Russia and the US to end Moscow’s invasion, Geneva, Switzerland, February 17, 2026

EA on TVP World: Trump Sells Out Kyiv on Eve of Ukraine-Russia Talks

Monday’s Coverage: Kyiv Attacks Russia’s 2nd-Largest Refinery

Ukrainian and Russian delegations, with US and European officials present, will meet in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Kyiv is seeking a ceasefire on current frontlines, while Russia is maintaining its demand for the surrender of the rest of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.

The direct discussions are the first since February. Progress was made in military talks about the implementation of any ceasefire, but there was no advance in political talks as the Kremlin stood on its maximum terms keeping Ukraine weak.

The Trump camp has swung towards the Kremlin in recent weeks, as Moscow has offered tens of billions of dollars in deals benefitting friends and family of Donald Trump and his envoys, real estate developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Kushner has written of the pursuit of a mutual security guarantee, but without giving details about Russia, Ukraine, and NATO. He has posted of the necessity of “sovereignty” and “territorial integrity”; however, he has made no reference to the terms of a ceasefire or the withdrawal of occupying Russian forces from Ukraine, including Crimea — seized in 2014 — and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east.

On Monday, he replaced “territorial integrity” with “independent decision-making” and posted, “Our hope is to make meaningful progress, establish a practical pathway forward, and help create the conditions for a lasting peace.”

In a background call with journalists, US officials — likely Witkoff and/or Kushner — acknowledged, “Territory remains unresolved. Russia continues to demand all of Donetsk, while Ukraine favors the current contact line.”

They declared that both sides have shown some “private flexibility”. However, territorial questions and post-war security arrangements must be negotiated in parallel and resolved together.

They pointed to the revival of the NATO-Russian Council suspended by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and the potential lifting of sanctions against Moscow — necessary for the business deals that the Kremlin has put on the table.

They concluded, “No deal is expected in Abu Dhabi. The goal is to clarify positions, identify remaining gaps and establish a framework for further negotiations.”

Zelensky: “Bring This War To An End Fairly and For Real”

The head of Ukraine’s delegation, Rustem Umerov, emphasized the presence of European partners. They include the “E4” of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK and representatives of NATO and the European Commission.

He posted, “Our goal is a lasting and sustainable peace, guaranteed security for Ukraine, and real opportunities for Ukraine’s recovery after the war.”

In his nightly video address to the nation, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said:

US officials said the potential security guarantees for Ukraine are similar to NATO’s Article 5 for collective defense if a member is attacked. “Getting a US security guarantee is a really, really big deal,” one official added, saying it would be up for discussion between Donald Trump and Zelensky.

But a “European security official”, from a country attending the talks, said the US proposal is not yet clear. The Europeans are bracing themselves for the US to insist on serious concessions to Russia.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said at a G7 foreign ministers meeting on Monday:

We already have a European security architecture in place.

This includes international agreements under which Russia has undertaken obligations, including with regard to sovereignty and territorial integrity. The problem is that Russia is not respecting these agreements.