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First trilateral meeting since the start of the war/ Russia, Ukraine and the US will hold talks in Abu Dhabi today

2026-01-23 07:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

First trilateral meeting since the start of the war/ Russia, Ukraine and the US

Photos from previous meetings of the Ukrainian and Russian delegations

Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators will hold talks in the United Arab Emirates today. This will be the first meeting involving the three countries since Moscow launched its full-scale occupation nearly four years ago.

The Kremlin confirmed that Russian officials would take part in the talks after a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoys in Moscow. Russia described the talks as "useful in every respect" but said a long-term peace deal could not be reached until territorial issues were resolved.

Present at Thursday evening's meeting with Putin and two other Russian aides were three American representatives, including Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were constructive and very frank, but reiterated that any agreement for lasting peace would not be possible without resolving territorial issues.

"Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation. Without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term solution," he said, referring to the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last year.

After meeting with Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky also made it clear that the future status of territory in eastern Ukraine remains an unresolved issue.

"It's all about land. This is an issue that has not been resolved yet," Zelensky told reporters in Davos, adding that "Russians should be ready for compromises, not just Ukraine."

Territorial sticking points include Russia's demand that Ukraine give up the 25% of the Donetsk region that Kiev still controls.

Zelensky in Davos named some of his top officials as part of the Ukrainian negotiating team. The head of the country's national security and defense council, Rustem Umerov, has already held talks with US officials in Davos, along with Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelensky's office, and negotiator David Arakhamia. They will be accompanied to the UAE by the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov.

On the Russian side, the delegation in Abu Dhabi will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet separately with Witkoff to discuss economic issues.

Zelensky said last month that a 20-point U.S. plan to end the war was 90% complete and that Ukraine's position on Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, was different from Russia's. He has offered to withdraw troops up to 40 km (25 miles) from the region with the aim of creating an economic zone in Donbas if Russia does the same.

The US proposal for Ukraine's industrial heartland in Donbas is for a demilitarized, free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kiev. Zelensky also told reporters in Davos that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.

He did not provide details, but said it would have to go before the U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian parliament before it could be signed. Another sticking point for Zelensky is the future control of Ukraine's large Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russia in March 2022. /CNA