Day 1 of trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi ends: Sources

End of day 1

Sources have told Reuters that the Ukraine-US-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi have ended for the day.

Stay tuned as Khaleej Times resumes its coverage tomorrow to bring you the latest on day 2 of the trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US.

Meeting Sheikh Mohamed

Photos from the meeting between delegation heads and President Sheikh Mohamed have emerged.

Take a look:

Previous peace efforts

As the talks are underway in Abu Dhabi, here's a look back at five previous diplomatic attempts to end the conflict in Ukraine:

1. Four days after invasion

Ukraine and Russia first met for talks on ending the war on February 28, 2022, just four days after President Vladimir Putin ordered his full-scale invasion.

Moscow demanded Kyiv stop fighting, formally cede Crimea to Russia and renounce control of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, ultimatums Kyiv rejected as unacceptable. The two sides met twice more near the Belarusian border, but failed to agree any ceasefire.

2. Talks in Turkey

The two sides met again in Antalya and Istanbul in March, 2022. Having failed to capture Kyiv and topple Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia said that it offered to pull back its forces from parts of northern Ukraine.

Kyiv indicated it was willing to accept "neutral status" and pursue discussions about Crimea and the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. But the talks fell apart.

3. Trump's return

As the conflict ground on through 2023 and 2024, there were no attempts at fresh diplomacy. But Trump's return to the White House in January 2025 triggered a restart.

Trump, who promised to end the war within "24 hours" of taking office, reversed his predecessor's policy of isolating Putin over the invasion, reaching out to the Kremlin for direct talks.

But Trump failed to wrangle any major concessions from Putin beyond a 30-day committment not to strike energy infrastructure.

4. Back to Istanbul

Trump warned in May 2025 he would impose sanctions on Russia if it did not agree to a 30-day ceasefire proposal -- an idea Russia again rejected.

The Kremlin instead proposed resuming surprise direct negotiations with Ukraine, starting in Istanbul on May 15.

The two sides failed to agree a ceasefire at the May meeting and two follow-ups in June and July, brokering only a major POW swap involving thousands of prisoners.

5. Trump-Putin summit

Amid slow progress, Trump in July 2025 threatened to slap massive tariffs on Russia's key trading partners, giving Moscow a 50-day deadline to end the war.

But instead of imposing sanctions, Trump announced a surprise summit with Putin in Alaska, the first between a sitting Russian and US president in four years.

In a brief joint media appearance with Trump, who unusually took no questions, Putin again spoke of addressing the "root causes" of the Ukraine war while showing no sign of halting his invasion.

UAE's approach

Afra Al Hameli, the Director of Strategic Communications at UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa), highlighted the country's approach towards ending conflicts in the following tweet:

First time discussing Trump's plan

After speaking to the head of his delegation Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy said the exact formats of the meetings was yet to be set.

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are last known to have met face-to-face in Istanbul last summer, in talks that ended only in deals to exchange captured soldiers.

The Abu Dhabi meeting is the first time they face each other to talk about the Trump administration's plan.

'God willing'

Both sides say the fate of territory in Ukraine's east is one of the main outstanding issues in the search for a settlement to a war that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and decimated eastern Ukraine.

"The Donbas is a key issue," Zelenskyy — who said he and Trump had agreed on post-war security guarantees in Davos — told reporters on Friday, ahead of the talks.

"God willing (the talks will lead) to ending the war," he added, before cautioning: "It could go differently, but it's a step."

Can we expect a peace deal?

A source familiar with the planned talks told AFP the role of the United States would be crucial to how they play out.

"A lot will depend on the position of the Americans," they said.

Trump has in the past pressured Ukraine to agree to terms that Kyiv sees as capitulation. He recently repeated his belief that Putin and Zelenskyy were close to a deal.

UAE President meets delegation heads

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with the heads of the three delegations participating in the talks on Friday, January 23, expressing his sincere wishes for their success and for positive outcomes that contribute to ending a conflict that has persisted for years.

He reaffirmed the UAE’s consistent approach of promoting constructive dialogue and supporting all efforts aimed at advancing diplomatic solutions to crises and conflicts.

Sheikh Mohamed also affirmed the UAE supports all initiatives and endeavours that seek to achieve a peaceful settlement to the Ukraine crisis in a manner that serves the interests of all parties and contributes to global peace and stability.

Step towards peace

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed the country’s hosting of trilateral talks bringing together representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the United States.

He expressed his hope 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.

Talks kick off

"The talks commenced today in Abu Dhabi and are scheduled to continue over two days, as part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis," the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Witkoff to lead American side

US envoy Steve Witkoff will be leading the US side at the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi this evening, with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also due to take part. Both Witkoff and Kushner flew to the UAE after a meeting with Putin in Moscow.

After his talks with the Russians, Witkoff said "a lot of progress" had been made in Ukraine peace talks and that negotiations were down to one last issue.

"If both sides want to solve this, we're going to get it solved," Witkoff told an audience at the World Economic Forum in Davos. "What we need is to keep our eyes on the ball of Ukraine. Let's not drop that ball", he added.

Zelenskyy at Davos

In his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy commented on the harsh weather conditions Ukrainians endure amid the Russian strikes. Watch the following video:

Toughest winter yet

In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, residents heated themselves in any place they could as they endured days of Russian strikes on their energy infrastructure during freezing temperatures.

Elderly people sat in heated train carriages, families living in freezing apartment blocks ate dinner in heated tents on the street, and one animal shelter took in stray cats at risk of dying from the cold.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian energy infrastructure throughout the nearly four-year war. But Kyiv says this winter has been the toughest yet, as hundreds of Russian drones and missiles have overwhelmed its air defences during a particularly cold spell.

"The power in our building mostly comes on at night since the last massive strike," said 30-year-old lawyer Daria Grechanova. "Our building has electric heating. It's extremely cold there, 5-7C, and living like that with a small child isn't normal," she added.

Grechanova, who is pregnant, said the lift to her 10th floor apartment was not working due to the power cuts. She also has no way of cooking for her child.

"We've been forced to use these 'invincibility points' because they have hot meals," she said, referring to the name municipal authorities use for hubs where residents can access heating and electricity.

Authorities warn conditions could worsen if cold temperatures persist.

More than 1,000 Ukrainians have been taken to hospital with frostbite and hypothermia since late December alone, according to the health ministry

German doubts

Germany expressed doubts that Moscow would be willing to compromise to end the Ukraine war during UAE trilateral talks.

"There are still major questions about the extent to which Russia is really willing to move away from its maximalist demands," government spokesman Steffen Meyer said, adding that any agreement reached "must be geared toward achieving long-term and sustainable peace.

"Nothing would be gained if a peace agreement ultimately only gave Russia some breathing space, and allowed it to launch new attacks at a later date.

"That is why we have focused very strongly on the issue of security guarantees."

What is the 'Anchorage formula'?

Among the ideas being discussed is what is known as the 'Anchorage formula', which Moscow said was agreed between Trump and Putin at a summit last August. It basically means that Russia controls all of Donbas and freezes the current front lines elsewhere in Ukraine's east and south.

Donetsk, which is part of the Donbas, is one of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow said in 2022 it was annexing after referendums rejected by Kyiv and Western nations as bogus.

Most countries recognise Donetsk as part of Ukraine. Putin says Donetsk is "historical" Russian territory. This will be the biggest question facing negotiations today and tomorrow in Abu Dhabi.

Emirati mediation

The UAE's role in building bridges between Russia and Ukraine goes far beyond hosting today's trilateral talks in the Capital, Abu Dhabi.

Since the conflict started in February 2022, the UAE's mediation efforts have managed to secure the release of 4,641 Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The latest of such Emirati mediation efforts, which totalled 17, was in August 2025 when an exchange involving 146 prisoners from each side, totalling 292 prisoners, was completed between Russia and Ukraine.

The successful prisoners' swaps reflected Moscow and Kyiv's appreciation of the UAE as a trusted mediator working to support all efforts aimed at resolving the crisis.

Take a look at some photos of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers freed in previous swaps:

How did the Ukraine war start?

In February 2022, after building up forces for months but denying plans for an invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered tens of thousands of Russian troops into Ukraine in a "special military operation". The invaders attacked from the north, northeast and east, and made rapid initial advances, largely avoiding population centres.

Western intelligence agencies predicted Ukraine could fall within days, but even in the initial hours, there were signs that the Russian battle plan was faltering as Ukraine repelled Russian commandos attempting to seize an airbase north of Kyiv as a beachhead for a swift assault on the capital.

What compromise on Donetsk might be possible?

Zelenskyy says Washington has proposed that neither Russian nor Ukrainian troops be deployed in Donbas and that it be turned into a demilitarised, free economic zone.

The White House has not commented on the details of the ongoing talks. US President Donald Trump reiterated on Thursday after talks with Zelenskyy in Davos, Switzerland, that the war has to end but there was no sign of any breakthrough.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov has said Moscow does not rule out, under the terms of any peace deal, deploying its national guard and police to Donbas instead of the regular army, something that Kyiv is unlikely to accept.

Ushakov told the Kommersant daily last month that the land was Russian and would have to be administered by Moscow.

The US has not yet decided who should administer the territory, Zelenskyy said in December.

High-level military official part of Russian delegation 

Russian President Putin is sending Admiral Igor Kostyukov to head Moscow's team in Abu Dhabi. He is the director of Russia's military intelligence organisation, known as the GRU.

Putin previously sent Kostyukov to participate in talks on Ukraine. He was a member of a Russian delegation that met with Ukrainian counterparts in May 2025 in Istanbul, the first face-to-face talks between the warring sides in three years.

Kyiv must pull out of Donbas to end war: Kremlin

The Kremlin on Friday repeated its demand that Kyiv must withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region for the war to end, showing it had not dropped its maximalist demands ahead of trilateral talks with the US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.

"Russia's position is well known on the fact that Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces, have to leave the territory of the Donbas. They must be withdrawn from there," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding: "This is a very important condition."

Military intelligence reps to be present: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy says they will talk with the Ukrainian team at around 3 or 4pm about the points that will be discussed in the meeting.

Ukrainian President also says military intelligence representatives will be present during the meeting in Abu Dhabi

Zelenskyy-Trump discussions

Zelenskyy said he discussed with Trump about additional missiles for air defence, Pac-3, Anti-ballistic, and hopes for 'positive result'.

The Ukrainian President also said he discussed the question of 'free economic zone' with Trump.

Zelenskyy says it is also important for ukraine to understand source of financing for package on post-war recovery.

Zelenskyy says territorial issue to be discussed in UAE

Zelenskyy said on Friday that the vital question of territory in Ukraine's war with Russia would be discussed at trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.

Responding to questions in a WhatsApp media chat, he added that he is waiting on Trump, as well as for a specific date and place, to sign a finalised deal on US security guarantees for Ukraine.

Who is part of the Ukrainian delegation?

Zelenskyy said Ukraine's delegation at the UAE meeting would be led by Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Rustem Umerov, and would include Lieutenant General Andriy Gnatov, the chief of staff of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Russia-Ukraine war 

Russian strikes this week have left most of Kyiv without electricity, with residents of 4,000 buildings without heat in sub-zero temperatures.

Russia, which launched its Ukraine offensive in February 2022, says its strikes are aimed at energy infrastructure fuelling Ukraine's "military-industrial complex".

Kyiv says the strikes are a war crime designed to wear down its civilian population.

'Americans have done a lot': Kremlin

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov also said that "the Americans have done a lot to prepare the meeting [in Abu Dhabi], and they hope that it will be a success, opening up prospects for progress on the entire range of issues related to ending the conflict and reaching a peaceful settlement agreement."

Apart from the trilateral meeting, Abu Dhabi will also host a meeting of a Russia-US working group on economic affairs, which will be led by Dmitriev and Witkoff.

Military ops to 'continue' till territory issue resolved

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov offered highlights of the meeting in Moscow afterwards, reiterating that a long-term solution "should not be expected to be achieved unless the territorial issue is resolved based on the formula agreed on in Anchorage".

Ushakov emphasised that Moscow was genuinely interested "in resolving the Ukraine crisis through political and diplomatic means."

"Until then, Russia will continue to work consistently to achieve the goals of its special military operation on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative," he said.

High-level meeting in Moscow

The discussions in Abu Dhabi on Friday come hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and businessman Jared Kushner in Moscow.

Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told reporters that the meeting was extremely substantive, constructive, frank, and based on trust.

The talks, focused on the Ukrainian settlement, lasted about four hours. 

UAE one of the most suitable places 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said in the past that the UAE would be one of the suitable places to hold a meeting with US President Donald Trump and discuss the conflict with Ukraine.

At the time, Putin said that he was not 'on the whole' against meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding that 'certain conditions should be created' for such a meeting. He stressed that the current situation was 'far' from being ready for it.

Today's meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and US delegations in the UAE come more than six months after those comments.

'Stupid not to make a deal': Trump 

US President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine would be "stupid" not to reach a peace deal, adding that he was meeting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Thursday.

Trump repeated his oft-stated belief that both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Zelensky were close to a deal, saying that "too many people are dying" from the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

"I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done. And if they don't, they're stupid -- that goes for both of them," said Trump during a short chat with a moderator following his speech.

Watch Trump speak at Davos:

Who is part of the Russian delegation?

Russia’s delegation will be led by Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, according to the Russian news agency Tass.

According to Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, the team includes "members of the Defence Ministry’s leadership". Putin has already provided the Russian delegation "with specific instructions based on the details of today’s conversation".

President Vladimir Putin has previously sent Kostyukov to participate in talks on Ukraine. He was a member of a Russian delegation that met with Ukrainian counterparts in May 2025 in Istanbul, the first face-to-face talks between the warring sides in three years.

'Positive' talks 

Zelenskyy and Trump, who have met half a dozen times since Trump returned to the White House last year and upended US policy on Ukraine, both said Thursday's talks were positive.

"I think the meeting with President Zelenskyy was good. It's an ongoing process," Trump told reporters. Asked what his message was for Putin, Trump replied: "The war has to end."

US envoy for Ukraine Steve Witkoff had told an audience at the World Economic Forum, earlier on January 22, that good progress was being made in peace talks, after he met with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Davos.

Territory main issue

Diplomatic efforts to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II have gained pace in recent months, though Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday after talks with US President Donald Trump in Davos that the terms of security guarantees for Ukraine had been finalised, but that the vital issue of territory in its war with Russia remains unsolved.

He also said a deal was almost ready on economic recovery after the war with Russia, a key element of Kyiv-backed proposals to push back on an earlier US peace plan seen as heavily favouring Moscow.

How long will peace talks last?  

The full details of the upcoming talks in the United Arab Emirates have not been released, and it is not clear whether the Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet face-to-face.

However, US envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday that there would be "military-to-military talks and discussion of the prosperity package".

Zelensky said these talks would last two days on Friday, January 24, and Saturday, January 25.

Trilateral talks in UAE

Ukrainian, US and Russian officials will hold security talks in the UAE on January 23, the Ukrainian president Zelenskyy and the Kremlin said.

This came following a meeting of top US negotiators with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on a US-drafted plan to end the Ukraine war.

Delegations are flying to Abu Dhabi, where talks are expected to continue.

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