The Russia-Ukraine negotiation process has once again reached an impasse. The outward sequence of events over the past month has largely repeated familiar turns from last year: the Kremlin’s rejection of a plan acceptable to Kyiv, Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow, renewed optimism from Trump, and pressure on the sides to enter direct talks that have produced no clear results. However, the format of the talks in Abu Dhabi differed from last year's talks in Istanbul.

The Russian-Ukrainian negotiation process is again at a dead end. The external outline of the events of the last month largely repeated the well-known plot twists from last year: the Kremlin’s refusal of a plan that satisfies Kyiv, Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow, Trump’s new hopes and forcing the parties into direct negotiations that do not give clear results. However, the format of the negotiations in the capital of Abu Dhabi was different from last year’s in Istanbul.