Russia, Ukraine and the United States are holding their first ever trilateral peace negotiations today in Abu Dhabi, marking a potentially significant step toward ending the nearly four year war. The talks follow marathon discussions in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys, as well as a meeting between American and Ukrainian leaders in Davos.
The Kremlin confirmed Russia’s participation after Putin held more than three hours of talks Thursday night with Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son in law Jared Kushner. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described those discussions as exceptionally substantive and constructive, though he warned that achieving a lasting settlement would be impossible without resolving territorial issues.
Ushakov emphasized that Russia would continue pursuing its objectives on the battlefield until an agreement is reached. He referenced understandings discussed at a previous summit between Trump and Putin regarding territorial matters.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the trilateral meeting after talks with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Thursday. Zelenskyy said the terms of security guarantees for Ukraine had been finalized and a deal was almost ready on economic recovery after the war.
The Ukrainian delegation includes National Security and Defence Council (NSDC) Secretary Rustem Umerov, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Sergiy Kyslytsia, parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia, and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov. Russia’s delegation is led by Main Intelligence Directorate Chief Admiral Igor Kostyukov.
US envoy Witkoff said before the talks that negotiations were down to one issue, suggesting an agreement might be within reach. A European official later confirmed the remaining issue was territory.
The territorial dispute centers on Russia’s demands for control of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Putin has demanded that Ukraine surrender the 20 per cent it still holds of the eastern Donetsk region. Zelenskyy has refused to give up land that Ukraine has successfully defended through grinding attritional warfare since 2022.
The meeting comes as Ukraine faces severe hardship at home. Ukraine is currently battling to restore power to more than one million people left without heating in bitterly cold temperatures after Russian missile and drone attacks. Ukraine’s Energy Minister said the power grid endured its most difficult day since late 2022 due to constant attacks.
Zelenskyy delivered a forceful speech at Davos criticizing European inaction. He said Europe looks lost trying to convince the US president to change, rather than taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide. He compared the situation to the film Groundhog Day, saying Europe remains trapped in endless repetition of failing to defend itself.
Zelenskyy noted that just last year in Davos, he ended his speech saying Europe needs to know how to defend itself, and a year has passed with nothing changed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed back against Zelenskyy’s criticism. Von der Leyen said the European Union had committed more than 193 billion euros over the past four years, with an additional 90 billion euros approved for the next two years.
Trump described his meeting with Zelenskyy as productive and said his message to Putin is that the war has to end. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said both Putin and Zelenskyy want to reach a deal and everyone is making concessions to try to end the war. However, he noted that boundaries remain a key sticking point.
The talks in Abu Dhabi will include military to military working groups alongside the trilateral meetings, according to Zelenskyy. The negotiations are scheduled to span Friday and Saturday.
Zelenskyy said Russians have to be ready for compromises because everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine. He left Davos saying Ukraine had secured agreements on a new air defense package.
The meeting represents the first coordinated high level engagement among Kyiv, Moscow and Washington since the conflict escalated in February 2022. Both sides have previously highlighted the issue of territory as crucial to any settlement, with little indication of readiness for significant compromise.
