Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the recent trilateral talks between the United States, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as “constructive.” He said the meetings were the first format of their kind in some time and focused on possible parameters for ending the war in Moscow.
Zelenskyy said the talks, hosted over two days by the United Arab Emirates, involved political and military representatives from all three parties and discussed security-related issues, including the need for US surveillance and surveillance.
“A lot has been discussed, and it is important that the discussions were constructive,” he wrote on X, noting that the delegations could have further meetings as early as next week. “As a result of the meetings held these days, all parties agreed to report to their capitals on every aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders.”
The talks in Abu Dhabi followed a meeting in Moscow on Thursday between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 22, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said the “extremely frank” discussions lasted about four hours and that US officials briefed Moscow on their recent talks with Ukrainian and European leaders.
“Importantly, the participants of the conversation between the President of Russia and the Americans reaffirmed that achieving a lasting settlement would be unlikely without addressing the territorial issue on the basis of the formula agreed in Anchorage,” Ushakov said, according to a summary of the Kremlin meeting.
Territorial issues remain a key obstacle in the negotiations, with Moscow pressing Kiev to cede parts of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region that Russian forces do not fully control.
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Icicles hang from the balconies of an apartment building damaged by a drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on January 24, 2026. (Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The diplomatic efforts come as Russia continues its attacks across Ukraine, targeting the country’s energy sector, critical infrastructure and residential areas.
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Zelensky said on Sunday that Russian forces have launched more than 1,700 attack drones, more than 1,380 guided aerial bombs and 69 missiles in the past week alone.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives for a meeting with British Defense Minister John Healey at the Presidential Palace in Kiev on January 9, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images)
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The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, said ahead The trilateral talks show the country has deployed 447 emergency generators to help restore power to hospitals, shelters and critical services as more than a million Ukrainians face outages in freezing temperatures.
“The EU will not allow Russia to freeze Ukraine into submission and will continue to help Ukrainians get through this winter,” the commission said.
