Key Points
- The talks mark the first direct interaction between Moscow and Kyiv under a US-backed proposal to end war.
- Zelensky reiterates that territorial issues remain the core challenge.
- Russia reaffirms its demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the eastern Donbas region.
- UAE Foreign Minister hopes the talks would lead to tangible steps toward ending the conflict.
ABU DHABI: Ukrainian, US, and Russian officials on Friday held security talks in the United Arab Emirates, the Kremlin said, following a meeting of top US negotiators with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on a US-drafted plan to end the Ukraine war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised that territorial issues remain central and will be a key focus in the talks.
These discussions mark the first direct public negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv regarding a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to bring an end to the nearly four-year-long conflict.
Tangible steps toward ending crisis
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of UAE, in a statement, hoped that these discussions would contribute to tangible steps toward ending a crisis that has persisted for nearly four years and resulted in immense humanitarian suffering.
Abdullah bin Zayed Welcomes UAE’s Hosting of Trilateral Talks Between Russia, Ukraine, and the United Stateshttps://t.co/8KvGQrhU5V pic.twitter.com/dhvSjdk81U
— MoFA وزارة الخارجية (@mofauae) January 23, 2026
“Hosting these talks reflects the international community’s confidence in the UAE’s leading role and its steadfast approach to supporting peace and transforming challenges into meaningful opportunities for the peoples of both countries and the wider region,” the statement said.
Dialogue only solution to conflicts
He noted the UAE’s firm belief that sustainable solutions to conflicts can only be achieved through dialogue and de-escalation, reaffirming the country’s commitment to building diplomatic bridges and supporting any progress achieved by these important talks, which come at a critical juncture.
The talks are scheduled to continue over two days, as part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.
Senior officials from all three countries convened for the negotiations a day after President Trump met with Zelensky in Davos, and just hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff held late-night talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
Kyiv accuses Russia of killing seven people in Kharkiv region
Before the talks began, Kyiv said Russian strikes had killed three people on Friday in the Kharkiv region and four people — including a father and his five-year-old son — overnight in the east.
Although diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have accelerated, Moscow and Kyiv remain at an apparent stalemate over territorial issues.
Moscow demands Kyiv withdraw from Donbas region
Hours after Vladimir Putin met with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Moscow, the Kremlin reiterated its maximalist demand that Kyiv withdraw from the eastern Donbas region.
“Russia’s position is well known on the fact that Ukraine, Ukrainian armed forces, have to leave the territory of the Donbas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“This is a very important condition,” he added.
