Russia and Ukraine have privately demonstrated "a little bit of flexibility" over disputed territory, according to a senior US official, as a new round of negotiations aimed at ending Moscow's war against Kyiv began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
The comments came after US President Donald Trump suggested that Ukraine could emerge from the conflict with "a little bit different shape", without specifying what territorial changes might be involved.
Moscow has demanded that Kyiv recognise Russian control over Crimea and the four regions it claims to have annexed - Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - and withdraw its forces from all four, including areas not controlled by Russian troops. Ukraine has repeatedly rejected these demands.
The US official provided no details about the reported flexibility but cautioned that territorial questions could not be resolved without agreement on Ukraine's post-war security arrangements.
"They will not solve the Donetsk issue and the territorial issue until they know what the security architecture is going to be after the war," the official said.
Ahead of the negotiations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv would propose measures to reduce hostilities and seek an agreement on arranging a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia and the US.
"At the meetings in Abu Dhabi, our team will propose de-escalatory steps, and there must be an understanding of how to arrange a trilateral meeting at the leaders' level to bring this war to an end fairly and for real," he wrote on X.
The negotiations opened on Tuesday with discussions involving Ukrainian, American and European representatives, ahead of the first trilateral meeting between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington since February.
Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, NATO and the European Commission attended the initial discussions alongside US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
"We will align our positions and coordinate steps ahead of the next stage of negotiations," Umerov said.
He identified Ukraine's priorities as ending hostilities, securing post-war security guarantees, economic recovery and humanitarian arrangements.
European governments have pressed for a greater role in the US-led diplomatic process, particularly as Washington and Moscow discuss potential arrangements that could affect the continent's future security.
"In order to end the war, you need to have Europe at the table," a senior US official reportedly said ahead of the negotiations.
US media reports have indicated that Washington and Moscow have discussed security guarantees for Ukraine modelled on NATO's Article 4 and Article 5 provisions, which concern consultations over security threats and collective defence.
The discussions have also reportedly included the possibility of reviving the NATO-Russia Council, whose activities were suspended in 2022, and introducing a sanctions snapback mechanism that would allow restrictions on Moscow to be reinstated if Russia violated a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have continued. In his evening address on Monday, Zelensky accused Moscow of attempting to divide Ukraine along the Dnipro River by targeting bridges and the country's electricity network.
"Russia is trying to divide Ukraine along the Dnipro River and make life as difficult as possible for people - for our cities and villages," he said.
Despite the renewed diplomatic efforts, Washington has cautioned against expecting an immediate breakthrough.
US envoy Jared Kushner said the discussions could help "build momentum toward the next phase of negotiations", describing the conflict as "extraordinarily difficult and complicated".
