Ukraine–Russia Peace Talks Gain Momentum as Trilateral Meeting Planned in Abu Dhabi.

 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media  at the 56th annual World  Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says officials from Ukraine, Russia and the United States will hold trilateral ⁠meetings for the first time on Friday and Saturday as the US continues to push for an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine.

After talks with US President Donald Trump in Davos on Thursday, Zelenskyy said the terms of security guarantees for Ukraine had been finalised, and a deal was almost ready on economic recovery after the war, a ​key element of Kyiv-backed proposals to push back on an earlier US plan seen as heavily favouring Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the negotiations scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi would mark the first trilateral meeting involving the countries concerned, describing the development as a positive step. “I think this is good,” he said.

Russia has not issued any immediate response to the proposed talks.

The US president, after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, described their discussion as “good” but emphasized that efforts to end the war launched by Russia remain an ongoing process.

Earlier, US envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that significant progress has been made in the prolonged Russia-Ukraine negotiations, noting that talks have narrowed down to a single unresolved issue. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Witkoff said the remaining issue is “solvable” and has already gone through several discussion rounds.

“If both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved,” he added.

Following his remarks, Witkoff, alongside former US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, traveled to Moscow for further talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Witkoff said the US officials would then travel to Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, where discussions would continue through “military-to-military” working groups.

According to Zelenskyy, the talks in the UAE, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, will feature the first trilateral meetings involving officials from the United States, Russia, and Ukraine.

Trump, Zelenskyy Meet in Davos

Former US President Donald Trump said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the war in Ukraine must come to an end, speaking to reporters after his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos.

Zelenskyy described the talks with Trump as “productive and substantive,” adding that preparations for key documents had improved significantly.

The Ukrainian leader had earlier indicated that he would only attend the Davos meeting if there was a realistic opportunity to sign an agreement with Trump aimed at resolving the nearly four-year-long conflict, including provisions for security guarantees and post-war reconstruction funding for Ukraine.

Addressing the World Economic Forum after his meeting with Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for Russian President Vladimir Putin to face international prosecution and criticized European allies for failing to deploy frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defence.

“This is the fourth year of the largest war in Europe since World War II, and the man who started it is not only free but is also fighting to reclaim his frozen money in Europe,” Zelenskyy said.

While US envoy Steve Witkoff did not specify the final unresolved issue in the negotiations, Zelenskyy stated in December that two major sticking points remain: the long-term status of territories seized by Russia and areas still under Kyiv’s control that Moscow is demanding, as well as control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Trump reiterated his claim that Putin and Zelenskyy were close to reaching a deal. Speaking after addressing the annual gathering of global leaders, he said, “I believe they’re at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don’t, they’re stupid — that goes for both of them.”

The United States has held separate talks with Russia, Ukraine, and European leaders on multiple draft proposals to end the war, but no agreement has been reached, despite Trump’s repeated pledges to secure one.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte welcomed Trump’s peace efforts but stressed that Ukraine still requires military support as it continues to face Russian missile and drone attacks.

“We need to keep our eyes on the ball of Ukraine. Let’s not drop that ball,” Rutte said. “Yes, peace talks are important and we will do everything to make them successful, but that will not happen tomorrow.”