On Wednesday, top Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov informed state media that discussions between Russian and U.S. officials in Abu Dhabi the previous day did not cover the White House’s latest initiative to resolve the Ukraine conflict. This follows President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would send his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow to share the peace proposal with Vladimir Putin.

“The peace plan was not a topic of discussion in Abu Dhabi,” Ushakov stated. While he acknowledged that Moscow had received the latest U.S. draft, he pointed out that “the details of the peace proposal have not been examined thoroughly with any party.”

Ushakov remarked that “certain elements” of the proposal might be regarded positively, but emphasized that “numerous aspects need in-depth discussions among specialists.” He further insisted that involving European officials in the negotiations was “entirely unnecessary.”

He elaborated that the primary focus of the Abu Dhabi meeting was on concrete security matters, such as the potential for prisoner swaps, which involved security representatives from both Ukraine and Russia.

U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll participated in those discussions as well, having held individual meetings with Russian representatives as a continuation of talks that took place over the weekend in Geneva involving U.S. and Ukrainian officials.

Driscoll expressed optimism following the meeting, with his spokesperson indicating that the discussions “are progressing positively and we remain hopeful.”

Additionally, Ushakov confirmed on Wednesday that Witkoff, who has spent months facilitating communications between the Kremlin and the White House, is anticipated to travel to Moscow next week along with other officials from the Trump administration.

Just a day earlier, Trump stated he was dispatching Witkoff to meet with Putin and present a list of provisions that were negotiated between U.S. and Ukrainian representatives, asserting that the two sides were “close” to an agreement despite having made similar statements multiple times in recent months.

He also expressed his desire to meet with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “soon,” albeit “ONLY when the deal to conclude this conflict is FINAL or nearing finalization.”

Trump has renewed his efforts to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long war, which had stalled following his August summit with Putin in Alaska. Recently, he set a November 27 deadline for Ukraine to accept a preliminary U.S. plan that many believe is biased towards Moscow, although this pressure seemed to diminish following the Geneva talks.

The original draft, which consisted of 28 points, has now been reduced to about 20. According to ABC News, Ukraine has consented to this revised framework, citing a U.S. official who mentioned that only “minor details” remain before the plan can be formally introduced.

A senior official familiar with the situation informed AFP that the updated version of the draft, which has yet to be publicly disclosed, is “significantly more favorable” for Kyiv compared to the initial U.S. proposal.

It is still uncertain whether Putin will agree to the modifications. Kremlin representatives indicated earlier in the week that the original 28-point proposal contained “key provisions” they found acceptable, while emphasizing that it needed “further adjustments.”

Moscow has dismissed an alternative peace initiative proposed by European leaders, who were caught off guard by Washington’s plan and aimed to present an option more closely aligned with Ukraine’s interests.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov mentioned on Tuesday that officials in Kyiv are advocating for a meeting between Zelensky and Trump “as soon as possible in November to finalize the remaining aspects and reach a resolution” to end the conflict.

The two presidents last met in Washington in October, and reports suggested that Trump had urged the Ukrainian leader to agree to Russia’s terms for concluding the war.

Zelensky, who had aimed to obtain Tomahawk missiles to target deep within Russia during that visit, characterized his meeting with Trump as “frank.”

Correction: An earlier version of this article inaccurately stated that Zelensky last met with Trump in August. Their most recent meeting occurred in October. Reporting contributed by AFP.