US mediator Steve Witkoff has said Washington will hold talks with both Ukraine and Russia next week, according to DIE ZEIT. The announcement points to a renewed American push on ending the war.
Coverage of the announcement named Abu Dhabi as the venue for the negotiations, STERN.de reported. A report by RND.de said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey. That report also said a Ukrainian emergency app had been hacked.
The reports give few further details, and it is not yet clear who will represent each side or what agenda the talks will follow. The material above does not indicate whether the Ukrainian and Russian delegations would meet together or hold separate sessions with US officials.
The announcement follows a sustained diplomatic effort to bring the fighting to an end, with Washington acting as intermediary. The German outlets reporting the development did not set out the substance of what would be discussed.
What to watch next: confirmation from Kyiv and Moscow that they will attend, and whether the Abu Dhabi talks produce a framework for a direct meeting between the two presidents.
