Abu Dhabi (AFP) - American envoys will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet President Vladimir Putin after two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators on their almost five-year war.

The countries agreed a major prisoner exchange – the “biggest” ever according to US envoy Jared Kushner, though no side gave any figures. But the two sides remain split over the role Europe should play in future talks.

Though little else of substance emerged from the talks in Abu Dhabi – the first since February, when the US war in Iran halted diplomacy – all sides talked up progress at the meeting and said talks would continue.

After visiting Moscow, Kushner and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Dublin – which hosts European summits this week – to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kushner said the meeting with Putin would “go over what was discussed today and try to make more progress on some of the issues that we discussed because we see some openings”.

With Zelensky, the pair will “further explore some of the ideas that we came up with here today,” he told reporters after two days of talks.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia said he saw “good momentum” after the discussions, but there were “issues that we cannot disclose at the moment”.

While Russia continued deadly attacks in Ukraine during the talks, its lead negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told reporters the “discussion will certainly continue”.

But he questioned including Europe in the talks.

“We don’t really understand what there is to talk about with them. We have not received a single peace initiative, not one concrete proposal from the European countries,” he said after the talks.

Ukraine wants more involvement from its key European backers.

Kushner said looking at “if we can get the Europeans added to the format” would be on the agenda for talks with Putin.

Officials from Britain, France, Germany and Italy, as well as NATO and the EU travelled to Abu Dhabi for meetings on the sidelines.

- Five years of war -

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, in what has become Europe’s worst conflict since World War II.

Millions more have fled the fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, large swathes of which have been destroyed by relentless aerial bombardments.

Russia is demanding Ukraine withdraw from parts of eastern Ukraine it still controls, and wants a sweeping deal on “Europe’s security architecture” as part of any agreement to halt the war.

That is widely seen as a reference to Moscow’s long-standing demands to push back the NATO military alliance in eastern Europe, and end Western military support to Kyiv.

Kyiv says a ceasefire must come before any discussions on territory and has called for a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin to discuss the biggest issues.

Putin has ruled that out. The Kremlin has flippantly invited Zelensky to Moscow if he wants to meet the ex-KGB spy.

- European security -

Kushner said the talks had helped, but declined to say on what areas the two sides may be able to agree.

“Some areas we see places where we can find compromises, others we need to have more discussions, but I think this was a good first step,” he told reporters.

He also urged Europe to “identify one person to speak on their behalf” in the negotiations.

Europe has been rattled by US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a deal with Russia on rewriting European post-war security, worrying that Washington will force Kyiv to accept a peace that heavily rewards Moscow.

Kushner on Tuesday said the United States hoped to “create a new framework” of security between Ukraine, Russia and Europe that will secure “decades, if not centuries, of peace”.

Ukraine has insisted Russia end hostilities before any discussion on a future security arrangement for Europe, and warned against a “Yalta 2.0” carving up of the continent.

A Russian delegation source had said that settling the war was “merely one item on the agenda”, and that Moscow’s main objective was reviewing security “for the entire continent”.

In a joint statement, the Europeans, Ukraine, the United States and NATO reaffirmed their “shared commitment to a strong post-war European security architecture”.

Kyiv has also pushed for post-war military support.

A senior Ukrainian source told AFP Ukraine wanted at least 10 years of financial support to sustain an 800,000-strong army able to defend any Russian attack.

Trump hinted before the talks that Kyiv might have to give up land, saying: “They’re going to end up with a little bit different shape.”

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