Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday he was "very happy" with recent messages he has received from the United States that point toward movement on resolving the more than four-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia.
He made the remarks to journalists after a day of talks with Nordic leaders in Denmark, and as the initial day of US-led trilateral discussions between Ukraine, Russia and the United States concluded in Abu Dhabi.
When asked specifically about messages delivered by US presidential envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, Zelenskiy said: "I see changes. I am very happy about what I hear."
Zelenskiy has repeatedly managed a relationship with US President Donald Trump that at times has been tense. He was particularly cautious following an Oval Office meeting in February 2025 during which Trump accused him of being ungrateful.
The Abu Dhabi sessions are the first three-sided discussions of this format since February. Zelenskiy characterized the first day of the talks as "constructive and substantive," indicating engagement on several topics.
In comments later to reporters, Zelenskiy said that the agenda in Abu Dhabi had included work on formulating a new security architecture for Europe - a concept earlier in the day noted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Zelenskiy described that notion as "very difficult," stressing a lack of clarity about what any proposal would contain. "We are all very cautious with this topic because nobody really understands 100% what they want," he said. He added that while Ukraine may have a view, "nobody saw the documents, what the Americans discussed with the Russians."
Zelenskiy recalled that the idea of a new security architecture was first raised by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2021, and that the administration of President Joe Biden at that time had been cautious about the concept because the sequence of measures would be important.
He outlined a sequence he said mattered: "First, stop the war in Ukraine. Second, security guarantees for Ukraine. Third, maybe some dialogue about the topic of security in Europe, in the world." He emphasized that "this sequence is very, very important in this case."
On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that Moscow would not agree to an immediate ceasefire without knowing what would come next. Lavrov said it would be wiser, in his view, to discuss the outlines of a future security architecture for Europe first, and then consider a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi thus closed with both engagement and clear differences on sequencing and priorities. Zelenskiy framed the discussions as substantive while underscoring the importance of an agreed order of steps before any formal moves such as a ceasefire could be expected.
As the diplomatic exchanges continue, Zelenskiy's public comments highlight attention to the messaging from US envoys and a firm insistence on a specific progression of actions that Ukraine views as necessary for meaningful progress.