Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently shared insights into the trilateral discussions involving the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, held in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. He described these meetings as “constructive,” highlighting their significance as the first of their kind in quite some time. The primary focus of these talks was to explore potential frameworks for concluding the ongoing conflict initiated by Moscow.
Hosted by the United Arab Emirates over a two-day period, the discussions brought together political and military representatives from all three nations. The agenda centered on security-related issues, emphasizing the necessity for American involvement in monitoring and oversight. Zelenskyy noted the importance of these conversations being constructive in nature, which could pave the way for further dialogues.
In a statement shared on X, Zelenskyy indicated that the delegations might reconvene as early as next week. He remarked, “A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive.” He further elaborated that all parties involved would return to their respective capitals to report on the negotiations’ outcomes and align subsequent actions with their leadership.
These pivotal talks in Abu Dhabi followed a significant meeting in Moscow last Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in discussions with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, former President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service.
Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, described these discussions as “extremely frank,” lasting approximately four hours. During this time, U.S. officials provided updates to Moscow on their recent engagements with Ukrainian and European leaders, further contributing to the dialogue aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the “extremely frank” discussions lasted roughly four hours and included U.S. officials updating Moscow on their recent conversations with Ukrainian and European leaders.
“Importantly, the participants in the conversation between the President of Russia and the Americans reaffirmed the fact that bringing about a lasting settlement would be unlikely without addressing the territorial issue based on the formula as agreed in Anchorage,” Ushakov said, according to a summary of the meeting from the Kremlin.
Territorial issues remain a key obstacle in the negotiations, with Moscow pressing Kyiv to relinquish parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that Russian forces do not fully control.
Icicles hang from balconies in an apartment block damaged by a drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 24, 2026. (Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The diplomatic efforts come as Russia continues its strikes across Ukraine, targeting the country’s energy sector, critical infrastructure and residential areas.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Russian forces launched more than 1,700 attack drones, over 1,380 guided aerial bombs and 69 missiles in the past week alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives to meet UK Defense Secretary John Healey at the Presidential Palace in Kyiv on Jan. 9, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images)
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said ahead of the trilateral talks that it was deploying 447 emergency generators to help restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services, as more than one million Ukrainians face outages amid freezing temperatures.
“The EU will not let Russia freeze Ukraine into submission and will continue helping Ukrainians get through this winter,” the commission said.
