The United States wants to use the negotiations in Abu Dhabi to determine the decisions that Putin and Zelensky will have to make, Axios writes.
The White House assesses the prospects for a meeting between Russia, the United States and Ukraine with "cautious optimism," the publication said, citing American officials.
Washington expects the Russian president to be more willing to compromise after the lifting of sanctions on the sale of Russian diesel and other US measures welcomed by Moscow.
"The relationship we have built with Putin will play an important role in these negotiations," the source told Axios.
According to the publication, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner also hope to convince the Russian side to agree to the participation of European representatives in the next round of negotiations. After the meeting in Abu Dhabi, the American negotiators can travel to Moscow and Kiev to discuss the next steps directly with the presidents.