Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed what he described as a change in the approach of US mediators as peace talks with Russia enter their second day in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, although no breakthrough has been announced.
"I see changes. I'm very happy with what I hear," Zelenskyy told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday, describing the discussions as "constructive and quite substantive".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also described the negotiations as "very productive", while US envoy Jared Kushner said Washington had narrowed the gaps between the two sides, without providing further details.
Yet the positive assessments have done little to obscure the deep divisions between Kyiv and Moscow, particularly over territory and the terms of a ceasefire.
Wednesday's discussions are expected to focus on de-escalation measures, including energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, as well as the possibility of a trilateral meeting at the leaders' level.
Territorial disagreements remain
Territory remains one of the main sticking points, with Moscow demanding that Ukraine withdraw its forces from eastern regions, including areas still under Kyiv's control.
Zelenskyy said Russian negotiators falsely claimed that Moscow's forces had captured half of the territory in Donbas still under Ukrainian control.
Kyiv's delegation challenged the claims with video evidence, while NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, who was also present in Abu Dhabi, confirmed that Ukrainian battlefield maps were closer to reality, according to Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian president suggested that Vladimir Putin was being misled about Russia’s military advances and believed his forces could capture the remaining Ukrainian-held territory in the east within months, despite having failed to take full control of Donbas since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014.
Zelenskyy stressed that territorial questions would ultimately have to be settled at the leaders' level, rather than by negotiators in Abu Dhabi.
Ahead of the talks, US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine might have to accept territorial changes, saying the country would end up with "a little bit different shape".
Security guarantees and Europe's role
Washington and Moscow are also seeking to address Europe's wider security arrangements as part of the negotiations.
Kushner said the US wanted a new security framework involving Ukraine, Russia and Europe, while a source within the Russian delegation described ending the war as just one item on Moscow's agenda.
Russia's inclusion of Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is significant. Before the 2022 full-scale invasion, he was involved in Moscow's demands for NATO to roll back its military presence in eastern Europe.
European officials have held separate consultations in Abu Dhabi but are not part of the trilateral talks. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed their presence, saying: "Well, they flew to Abu Dhabi. Let them sit there in the hotel."
Rubio, however, said Europeans would eventually need to join the negotiations because they were "part of solving this problem".
Ceasefire and prisoner exchange
Moscow continues to reject an immediate ceasefire, with Lavrov accusing European governments of seeking to give Ukraine time to recover its military losses.
Yet Russia itself used the years following the 2014–15 Minsk ceasefire agreements to consolidate its military and political foothold in eastern Ukraine, before launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Kyiv hopes limited truces could pave the way for a broader ceasefire, following last month's humanitarian operation in Russian-occupied Oleshky, which allowed aid deliveries and civilian evacuations.
A large-scale prisoner exchange is also under discussion. Zelenskyy said the sides were considering exchanging 1,000 prisoners each, or potentially 1,500 each, with US officials expected to travel to Russia for further talks.
The proposal follows the May 2025 negotiations in Istanbul, when Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each despite failing to secure a ceasefire. No new agreement has yet been officially announced.
Humanitarian arrangements and prisoner exchanges have so far produced the only tangible results of the diplomatic efforts, with no agreement on a broader ceasefire or peace settlement.
