Ukraine, Russia, US to meet for ‘first trilateral’ talks to end war
ABU DHABI, UAE — In a major diplomatic milestone, Ukraine, Russia and the United States have begun their first ever three-way talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, nearly four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The talks, held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, mark the first formal trilateral negotiations involving the governments of all three countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the talks during the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying they were scheduled to take place over two days and signalling that peace proposals and security guarantees were “nearly finalized.” Zelenskyy stressed that Russia must be prepared for compromise, while maintaining Ukraine’s core demands, including security assurances and sovereignty over its territory.
The United States, represented by a high-level delegation led by Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, is facilitating the talks, reflecting Washington’s intensified push for a diplomatic end to the conflict. Former U.S. President Donald Trump—whose administration has driven much of the recent peace initiative—called the prior meeting between himself and Zelenskyy “good,” and reiterated that the war “has to end.”
However, major obstacles persist. Russia has insisted that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from portions of the contested Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as part of any deal—an unacceptable precondition for Kyiv. Moscow’s position, reiterated ahead of the talks, continues to make territorial control a central sticking point.
Despite the solemn diplomatic setting, fighting on the ground has continued, with Russia recently launching strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure, compounding pressure on Ukrainian cities during harsh winter conditions.
For Ukraine, the stakes are enormous: its leadership is attempting to balance urgent demands for peace and reconstruction with deep national resistance to territorial concessions and ongoing external threats. The U.S. aims to thread the needle between pushing Russia toward compromise while keeping Kyiv’s core political and security priorities intact.
What’s Next: The Abu Dhabi talks are seen as largely technical and preparatory, building on months of bilateral negotiations and draft peace frameworks. But with the territorial dispute over Donetsk, Luhansk and other regions unresolved, diplomats warn that achieving a final peace settlement will be extremely challenging, even if this trilateral format opens the door to deeper negotiation.
This is a developing story; major updates may follow as negotiations continue and official statements are released from all three governments.