On January 23 and 24, the first trilateral talks regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine took place in the United Arab Emirates with representatives from the USA, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation.
After the talks concluded and a report by the Ukrainian delegation members, President Zelensky stated that the talks were constructive and that they “managed to discuss a lot.”
“The main focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war,” said the Ukrainian president, adding that the negotiations showed an “awareness of the need for American monitoring and control over the process of ending the war and ensuring real security.”
Meanwhile, the American side “raised the issues of possible formats for establishing the parameters to end the war and the necessary security conditions for this.”
The participants in the talks are to report their developments to the leaders of the participating countries.
The military participants outlined a list of issues for a potential next meeting, which, according to President Zelensky, may take place as early as next week.
While peace talks were ongoing in the UAE, Russia launched another massive attack on Ukraine, with the main target again being Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
The talks lasted two days, beginning on Friday afternoon.
On Friday evening, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, reported that the talks would continue into Saturday.
“The meeting was dedicated to the parameters for ending the Russian war and the further logic of negotiating to move towards a dignified and lasting peace. There will be more meetings tomorrow,” Umerov wrote on Facebook.
He also reported that on Saturday, Chief of Staff General Andriy Hnatov and Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Lieutenant General Vadym Skibitsky will join the Ukrainian delegation.
Team Composition
On the day the talks began in Abu Dhabi, Volodymyr Zelensky updated the negotiating team structure. It included:
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov,
his first deputy Yevhen Ostrianskyi;
Head of the President’s Office Kyrylo Budanov;
his first deputy and diplomat Serhiy Kyslytsia;
Chief of Staff Andriy Hnatov;
Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate Oleh Ivashchenko;
his deputy Vadym Skibitsky;
First Deputy Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Oleksandr Poklad;
Head of the “Servant of the People” faction Davyd Arakhamia;
Advisor to the President’s Office of Ukraine Oleksandr Bevz.
The Russian “exclusively military” delegation at the talks in Abu Dhabi is led by the Chief of the Chief Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, and includes representatives from the Russian Ministry of Defense leadership.
It is also known that Putin’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, arrived in Abu Dhabi. He is scheduled to negotiate with the US President’s representative, Steve Witkoff.
Besides Witkoff, another special representative of Trump, Jared Kushner, as well as the commissioner of the Federal Procurement Service of the US General Services Administration (GSA), Josh Grunbaum, who previously met with Putin in the Kremlin, are present in Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine’s Aims in Abu Dhabi
The Ukrainian delegation traveled to Abu Dhabi immediately after meeting with US President Donald Trump in Davos.
“I spoke with Umerov, the group leader, in the morning and at night. He will work and give me appropriate signals at each stage of conversations or agreements,” Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on the morning of January 23.
In the afternoon, he reported that he had already had one such conversation with members of the Ukrainian team.
“Everyone understands what to do. We discussed the conversation framework, topics, and desired outcomes. We also discussed formats – they can vary, and the group will determine them on the spot, reacting in process depending on the dialogue. Because in this format, it’s the first time in a long period. We’ll be in constant contact,” the Ukrainian president told journalists.
He noted that Ukraine would definitely share the outcomes of the talks in Abu Dhabi with Europe.
“We are not standing still. Lord willing, this will be a step toward ending the war,” Zelensky concluded.
What Putin Discussed with Trump’s Special Envoys
On January 22, the day before, US President’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held talks with Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin once again stated that without resolving the territorial issue, there would be no lasting peace.
According to Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov, US representatives shared with Vladimir Putin “their impressions and assessments” from Trump’s meeting with Zelensky in Davos, as well as from other meetings that took place in December and January “in Florida and a number of European capitals.”
The talks in Moscow “were focused” on “jointly determining the parameters of further actions,” Ushakov declared.
According to him, the next step agreed upon by the parties will be the first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues with representatives from Russia, the USA, and Ukraine, scheduled for January 23 in Abu Dhabi.
On the front page: Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Volodymyr Zelensky, and Davyd Arakhamia, Davos, January 22, 2026. Photo: screenshot from the President’s Office video
