Abu Dhabi talks begin as Russia rejects immediate ceasefire and strikes Ukraine
Talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States have begun in Abu Dhabi, with Moscow refusing a ceasefire until territory and security guarantees are settled, as Russian strikes hit Ukraine.
How it was covered
- Channel 4 carried 54% of the airtime and concentrated on the human cost of war against stalled diplomacy.
- Sky News concentrated on European exclusion, Putin's leverage and low hopes of a breakthrough.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, GB News and ITV: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Trilateral talks between delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States began in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The first day ended without a ceasefire.
Channel 4 reported that Russia's foreign minister said that morning Moscow would not agree to European demands for an immediate ceasefire. Russian forces kept attacking Ukraine overnight and into the day, hitting a commuter train in Sumy and electricity infrastructure in 10 of Ukraine's regions, which triggered emergency power shutdowns, Channel 4 reported.
In Moscow, the Russians have been blunt that they will not agree to a ceasefire without understanding what comes next on territory and security guarantees. Vladimir Putin is holding to the demand for an entire final peace settlement before he signs up to a truce, Sky News reported, because he fears losing Russia's leverage in the talks.
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law, is leading the US delegation, Channel 4 reported. There were optimistic noises from the talks and reports that a prisoner exchange was being negotiated, but the Europeans on whom the security guarantees depend are not in the room.
Britain, France and Germany are not at the table but are in Abu Dhabi, in the same building, Sky News reported. Their representatives met the Americans before the three-way talks began to press for their views to be taken into account. European governments fear the Trump team will impose a framework that abandons European and Ukrainian interests, reduces America's role in European security and mainly satisfies Moscow.
The talks are scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, Sky News reported, with expectations low. The two sides remain far apart on security guarantees, and territory is not on the agenda.
Channel 4's evening programme told the story of two teenage girls killed in a recent attack on Chernihiv, part of the war continuing while negotiators meet thousands of miles away. One speaker in the report said: "They were only 15. The whole life was ahead."
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Representatives from Britain, France and Germany met US representatives in Abu Dhabi before the three-way talks, but European representatives were not at the table for those talks. | ||
| Russia's foreign minister said Moscow would reject European calls for an immediate ceasefire. | Reported by Sky News | |
| Trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States started in Abu Dhabi. | Reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||
| European governments feared the Trump team would impose a framework that abandoned European and Ukrainian interests, reduced America's role in European security and mainly satisfied Moscow. | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| Russian attacks struck a commuter train in Sumy and power infrastructure in 10 regions, prompting emergency shutdowns. | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The talks were due to conclude the following day, with low expectations because the sides remained far apart on security guarantees and territory was not on the agenda. | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 led its lunchtime summary with the talks, Russia's refusal of an immediate ceasefire and overnight strikes on a Sumy commuter train and power infrastructure, then gave its evening programme to the human cost, opening from Kyiv with two teenage girls killed in Chernihiv. It named Jared Kushner as the US negotiator and stressed that the Europeans are not in the room. Its lunchtime bulletin also carried a separate report that the US had moved aircraft from a second English airbase over a potential Iran threat.
- “They were only 15. The whole life was ahead.”
- “The Europeans, on who those guarantees rely, aren't even in the room.”
- “Russia continued to attack Ukraine during the night and into today, hitting a commuter train in Sumy”
Sky News concentrated on the diplomatic mechanics: the Europeans' exclusion from the table, their pre-talks meeting with the Americans and Putin's insistence on a full settlement before any ceasefire. Its correspondent Ivor Bennett set out why Moscow wants a wider framework, reported that the talks are due to conclude tomorrow and judged expectations low, noting the sides remain miles apart on security guarantees. It gave less space to the fighting on the ground.
- “They're not at the table for them, but they are in Abu Dhabi, in the same building, we believe”
- “Vladimir Putin is still sticking to this idea of agreeing an entire final peace settlement before he signs up to a ceasefire”
- “expectations are pretty low, because no matter what the Americans are saying, publicly at least, the two sides remain miles apart”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.