The U.S., Russia, and Ukraine are holding talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), to address one of the key obstacles preventing a deal to end the almost four-year war: territorial disagreements. The Abu Dhabi discussions mark the first trilateral talks since 2022.
The three-way meeting follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump in Davos and Russian President ’s meeting with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Witkoff and Kushner went to the UAE for the talks following their meeting with Putin in Moscow on Thursday.
Zelenskyy and Putin are facing growing pressure to secure a peace deal as the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion draws near and President pushes to end the war.
While Russia has called for Ukraine to give up the Donbas, Zelenskyy has to making land concessions, though the Abu Dhabi discussions indicate he might be willing to negotiate. Putin is demanding Ukraine hand over the 20% of the Donetsk region of the Donbas that it controls, .
“The Donbas issue is crucial. We will discuss how the three sides… view this in Abu Dhabi today and tomorrow,” Zelenskyy told reporters via WhatsApp, Reuters reported. The news outlet also noted that a Zelenskyy aide said the talks are anticipated to continue Saturday.
The envoys are gathering as Ukrainians confront subzero temperatures following Russian strikes that damaged the country’s power grid.
Maxim Timchenko, head of Ukraine’s leading private power company, told Reuters the situation was approaching a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
When speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump was asked if the trilateral meeting could lead to one involving himself, He did not commit but stated that “any time we meet, it’s good.” He also voiced skepticism about whether Putin wanted to conquer all of Ukraine.
“What’s happened here is that there were times Putin didn’t want to make a deal, times Zelenskyy didn’t want to make a deal, and they were opposite times. Now, I believe both want to make a deal. We’ll see,” Trump said.
The president also recognized that the subjects of the ongoing discussions had been debated for months.