Abu Dhabi, Jan 23 (.) Representatives from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine sat down for talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday, in the first round of trilateral negotiations on resolving the Ukraine crisis, the UAE’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed.
After a week of public diplomacy in Davos, the talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict are being held behind closed doors.
In a statement on Friday, Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the start of negotiations, saying that “sustainable solutions to conflicts can only be achieved through dialogue and de-escalation.”
The meeting is being held at an undisclosed location, and “the press is not expected,” TASS reported.
Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov announced that the first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues is being held in Abu Dhabi.
Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff also arrived in the UAE for a meeting to discuss cooperation between the Russian and American economies, he added.
The Russian delegation includes senior officials from the Ministry of Defense, led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces. Members of Russian security working group received instructions from President Putin last night, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
The trilateral meeting was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday at Davos, and confirmed shortly afterwards by Washington and Moscow.
It follows multiple rounds of diplomacy by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have met separately with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin on multiple occasions over the last year, most recently on Thursday night at the Kremlin.
Ukraine is represented by national security chief Rustem Umerov, general staff chief Andrey Gnatov, negotiator David Arakhamia, deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Kislitsa, and Kirill Budanov, the former secret police chief who now heads Zelenskyy’s office.
All three parties have said that the issue of territory – or how much of the Donbass Zelenskyy is willing to abandon his claim to – remains the biggest obstacle to a deal.
The Donbass regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, along with Kherson and Zaporozhye, voted to join the Russian Federation in 2022, eight years after Crimea rejoined Russia by popular vote.
“It’s all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,” Zelenskyy told reporters in Davos, before declaring that “the Russians have to be ready for compromises, not only Ukraine.”
“Without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement,” Ushakov said, referring to US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last year.
“We remain interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis by political and diplomatic means. However, if it does not happen, Russia will continue accomplishing its goals on the battlefield where Russian troops have the initiative,” he added.
Trump met with Zelenskyy in Davos on Thursday, and described the conversation as “good.”
Zelenskyy, however, walked away without securing an agreement on post-conflict security guarantees from the US.
The Abu Dhabi trilateral talks will continue on Saturday, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said. He hoped the trilateral talks will bring the Ukrainian crisis’ resolution closer.
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