By: The Trek News Desk
Senior representatives from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are set to meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday for high-level trilateral discussions aimed at exploring a possible path toward peace. Officials say this will be the first occasion in nearly four years, since Russia launched its full-scale military offensive against Ukraine, that delegations from all three countries will engage in direct talks at the same table.
The Kremlin has confirmed Russia’s participation in the meeting. The announcement came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin held discussions with American envoys in Moscow. Russian officials described those talks as “productive,” while stressing that a lasting peace agreement cannot be achieved without resolving long-standing territorial disputes.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced frustration over what he described as a lack of strong political resolve among European allies in confronting Russia.
During the Moscow meeting, three US representatives were present, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the discussions with the American delegation were serious and candid, but reiterated that territorial issues remain the central obstacle to any durable settlement.
Ushakov added that President Putin had underlined Russia’s genuine interest in a diplomatic solution, though he insisted that progress must follow the framework discussed during last year’s Trump-Putin summit in Alaska, particularly on territorial arrangements.
Earlier, US envoy Steve Witkoff had indicated that as part of a potential peace deal, Russia was open to allowing the US and Europe to provide strong security guarantees to Ukraine.
Following his meeting with Trump in Davos, President Zelensky acknowledged that the future of eastern Ukrainian territories remains unresolved. “This is about land,” he said, emphasizing that any agreement would require compromises from Moscow as well, not only from Kyiv.
One of the key points of contention is Russia’s demand that Ukraine relinquish control over the remaining 25 percent of the Donetsk region currently held by Ukrainian forces.
Highlighting the importance of the Abu Dhabi talks, Zelensky has appointed several top officials to Ukraine’s negotiating team. The delegation will include National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, senior presidential aide Kyrylo Budanov, chief negotiator David Arakhamia, and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov.
On the Russian side, the delegation will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, head of Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU. Separately, Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to hold talks with US envoy Witkoff on economic matters.
Zelensky recently stated that a US-backed 20-point roadmap to end the war is nearly complete, though sharp differences remain between Kyiv and Moscow over the Donbas region. Ukraine has proposed pulling its forces back by up to 40 kilometers to help establish an economic zone in Donbas, provided Russia takes similar steps.
Under the US proposal, Donbas would become a demilitarized free economic zone in exchange for firm security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky also revealed that he has reached a preliminary understanding with Trump on future US security assurances, noting that any final agreement would require approval from both the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament.
Source: News Agencies
