Two days of talks involving Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. representatives wrapped Saturday with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters” for ending the nearly four-year war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Negotiators agreed to resume talks in the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 1, according to a U.S. official who described the meetings in Abu Dhabi as upbeat and positive.
The talks represent the first known instance of Trump administration officials sitting down with both Ukraine and Russia as part of Washington’s effort to advance toward a peace agreement. The discussions covered military and economic matters, including the control of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, though key territorial disputes remain unresolved.
Three-Way Negotiations Move Forward
“All parties agreed to report to their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram following the talks.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner participated alongside Ukrainian officials including chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff. Russia sent military intelligence and army representatives, according to Zelenskyy.
The talks covered a broad range of military and economic matters and included the possibility of a ceasefire before a final deal. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, occupied by Russia and Europe’s largest, was a focus of discussions. The power generated from the plant would be shared “on an equitable basis,” according to the U.S. official, but control remained unresolved.
Zelenskyy said there was “an understanding of the need for American monitoring and control of the process of ending the war and ensuring real security.”
Prior Diplomatic Contacts
A day before the trilateral talks began, Putin discussed a Ukraine settlement with Witkoff and Kushner during marathon overnight talks, according to the Kremlin. Moscow insists that reaching a peace deal requires Kyiv to withdraw its troops from areas in the east that Russia has claimed but does not fully control.
The U.S. official said Russian and Ukrainian officials would likely need to hold further talks in Russia or Ukraine before there was a chance of Zelenskyy meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin or of a joint session with President Donald Trump. Momentum appeared to be building toward leader-level meetings, the official said.
Zelenskyy said earlier in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday that a potential peace deal was “nearly ready.” But certain sensitive sticking points — most notably those related to territorial issues — remain unresolved, according to the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks.
Continued Military Pressure
The negotiations continued even as Russian forces maintained military pressure. Russian drone attacks killed one person and wounded four in Kyiv, according to Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko. In Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, drone attacks wounded 27 people, according to Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media that Putin had ordered a “brutal massive missile strike against Ukraine right while delegations are meeting in Abu Dhabi to advance the America-led peace process.” He said the strikes affected both civilians and the negotiations themselves: “His missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table.”
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