Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not travel to Abu Dhabi this weekend

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will not be present when Russian and Ukrainian officials meet in Abu Dhabi this weekend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed.

The meeting is scheduled for Sunday, a week after the first round of three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US concluded in the same location. Although the second round has been described as another trilateral meeting, Rubio said on Wednesday that the US will play a lesser role this time around.

"There might be a US presence" in Abu Dhabi, he told lawmakers in Washington, "but it won't be Steve and Jared."

Witkoff and Kushner have met multiple times with officials from Moscow and Kiev, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. Witkoff described last weekend's trilateral sit-down as "very constructive," while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hailed the beginning of direct talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, as a "positive" step.

All sides have acknowledged that territorial disputes remain the central obstacle to any peace agreement. Moscow says a lasting deal would require Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which voted to join Russia in 2022. The Kremlin has also demanded that Kiev formally recognize the new borders, including Crimea. Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out any territorial concessions.

Territory is "the one remaining item" holding up an agreement, Rubio said on Wednesday. "I know there's active work going on to try and see if both sides' views on that can be reconciled," he continued, adding "it's still a bridge we haven't crossed."

Putin's top aide Yury Ushakov, who attended last weekend's talks, told reporters before the meeting that Russia had the battlefield initiative and would achieve its objectives militarily if a diplomatic solution is not found.

(RT.com)