Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session in UAE

MOSCOW -- A trilateral security working group comprising Russian, US, and Ukrainian officials will hold its first session in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), later Friday, a top Russian official said on Friday.

Following directives from President Vladimir Putin, the Russian delegation, which includes Ministry of Defense representatives, is set to fly to the UAE shortly, said Putin's foreign policy assistant, Yuri Ushakov.

According to Ushakov, the negotiations between Putin and the US delegation in the Kremlin covered the prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump's initiative on a Peace Council and the situation around Greenland. The negotiations were "exceptionally substantive, constructive, and extremely frank and trusting."

"The meeting was in every sense useful both for Russia and for the United States; the sides will maintain close contacts both on Ukrainian and other topics," he noted.