ABU DHABI: Ukraine and Russia will meet again on February 1 after weekend peace talks in the United Arab Emirates ended without a breakthrough, despite rare direct engagement between the two sides and what mediators described as a constructive atmosphere.
In a statement issued after the talks, the UAE government said Ukrainian and Russian delegations held direct discussions — an uncommon development in the nearly four-year war — and agreed to continue negotiations in Abu Dhabi. The talks were brokered by the United States.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested a second round of talks could take place as early as next week, while a US official said a new round is scheduled to begin on February 1.
According to Xinhua News Agency, a US official said discussions focused on detailed elements of a possible settlement. “We got to real granular details,” the official told reporters, adding that progress had been made in defining the parameters needed to move toward an eventual agreement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the talks addressed “parameters for ending the war, as well as the security conditions required to achieve this,” describing the exchanges as constructive.
The meetings marked the first trilateral engagement involving Ukraine, Russia, and the United States since the conflict began in February 2022. The last known face-to-face talks between Kyiv and Moscow took place in Istanbul last summer, resulting in agreements on prisoner exchanges.
The delegations included senior officials from all sides. The US was represented by presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, while Russia sent military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov. Ukraine’s delegation included senior security and presidential officials.
The US official said additional rounds of talks could follow the February 1 meeting, potentially paving the way for negotiations in Moscow or Kyiv before any high-level summit involving Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky, or a broader trilateral meeting including US President Donald Trump.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said he hoped the talks would contribute to a peaceful resolution. According to the UAE’s state news agency, the country has facilitated 17 prisoner exchange agreements between Ukraine and Russia since the war began, leading to the release of more than 4,600 detainees.
Despite renewed diplomatic engagement, major differences remain unresolved. Moscow has reiterated its demand that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region, calling it a key condition for any settlement. Kyiv has firmly rejected the demand, saying territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
The talks were overshadowed by continued fighting. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched large-scale drone and missile attacks during the negotiations, striking several regions, including the capital, Kyiv. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said attacks on energy infrastructure left nearly 1.2 million people without electricity amid freezing temperatures. Russia has not commented on the claims.
The weekend negotiations followed a series of diplomatic contacts, including a meeting between Trump and Zelensky on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, and separate US talks with Russian officials in Moscow.
While the UAE talks ended without progress, the agreement to reconvene suggests diplomatic channels remain open, even as the conflict on the ground continues unabated.
