Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy says Putin ‘lives in a different reality’ as Abu Dhabi talks get under way

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the US has backed Ukraine’s assessment of what is happening on the battlefield and that Vladimir Putin lives in a “different reality”, as American-led trilateral discussions between Ukraine, ⁠Russia and the US got under way in Abu Dhabi. In a post on social media, Zelenskyy said that Russia has claimed at the talks that they occupied half of the Donbas in Ukraine’s east. “This is the problem. Putin lives in a different reality,” the Ukrainian president wrote, adding “I can draw a picture for him too where I fully occupy Russia. But it’s not true. What was good is that the American side confirmed the Ukrainian assessment of what is happening on the battlefield.”

Zelenskyy said he was “happy” to see a change in the approach by US mediators at the Abu Dhabi talks. “I see changes. I’m very happy with what I hear. We will see what can be done,” Zelenskyy told a press conference in Copenhagen after being asked about changes in the approach to peace talks made by US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

Zelenskyy described the first day of talks – the first three-sided discussions to be held since February – as constructive and substantive. He said the agenda in Abu Dhabi had included formulating a new security architecture for Europe, an idea raised earlier on Tuesday by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov. “We are all very cautious with this topic because nobody really understands 100% what they want. I think we understand, but nobody ​saw the documents, what the Americans discussed with the Russians,” Zelenskyy said.

In Abu Dhabi, US officials have said they are seeking a “final end” to the war, Andrew Roth and Jennifer Rankin report. Part of the Trump administration’s proposal involves drawing up a new “long-term security architecture” between Russia and Europe, administration officials have said, but European officials are concerned that Russia may stick to its hardline demands that Nato should roll back its military footprint across eastern Europe, which would threaten to leave allies vulnerable to Moscow’s influence.

Ukraine’s foreign minister said he ⁠had urged US secretary of state Marco Rubio to accelerate ⁠interceptor ​deliveries as Russia ramps up attacks on energy ⁠infrastructure. Speaking to Reuters after talks ​with Rubio, Andrii Sybiha said he had pressed Washington to maintain pressure on Moscow even as diplomatic efforts to end the war took ‌place in Abu Dhabi. He said Ukraine remained prepared to ​discuss a range of de-escalatory measures, including ceasefires covering the Black Sea and energy infrastructure.

Friedrich Merz has signalled he will block the EU’s seven-year budget unless there is a deal on financial aid for Ukraine, triggering accusations of “typical blackmail” from some other European leaders and setting the stage for stormy talks later this month, Jennifer Rankin reports from Brussels. The German chancellor’s intervention has angered leaders in central Europe who are net beneficiaries of EU funds but do not want to take part in an upcoming funding round to support Ukraine’s war effort. “What the chancellor is doing is typical blackmail, and I will not give in to it,” Slovakia’s Russia-friendly prime minister, Robert Fico, told reporters in Bratislava, alongside his Czech counterpart, Andrej Babiš.

Latvia ⁠and Lithuania warned people across several regions to take shelter due ⁠to threats ⁠of ​unidentified drones entering their airspace via neighbouring Russia or Belarus early on Wednesday. Lithuania’s National Crisis Management Centre said its warning included ⁠the country’s second city of Kaunas, which has ​a population of about ‌300,000 people. As ‌Ukraine attacks Russia’s Baltic Sea oil shipping ports, some of its drones have ​missed their targets and led to security warnings in neighbouring countries. Moscow ⁠has accused Kyiv of using Nato airspace ​as cover ​for attacks, while Kyiv ​says some of its drones have ​been steered off ‌course by Russian ​signal ​jamming. The Nato countries blame Russia for the incidents, saying it ignited the war.