LONDON — Delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States are set to hold trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday in what officials say will be the first trilateral meeting since Russia launched a full-scale invasion on Ukraine almost four years ago in February 2022.<\/p>\n
The talks — planned for Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi — will be at a technical level and not include heads of state but is still a notable diplomatic engagement amid the ongoing fighting.<\/p>\n
Administration officials for U.S. President Donald Trump have projected confidence over reaching a deal in recent days, saying territorial control of eastern Ukraine is the last remaining sticking point. But that issue is arguably the most difficult and many experts remain skeptical an agreement is possible yet.<\/p>\n
President Trump\u2019s lead negotiators special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner met for four hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin into the early hours of Friday. But the Kremlin afterwards indicated there was no breakthrough and vowed to continue fighting unless Ukraine cedes all of its Donbas region and agrees to a number of other heavy Russian demands.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the meeting with Putin Witkoff on Thursday said that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are now down to “one issue.”<\/p>\n
“And we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable,\u201d Witkoff said in Davos Thursday.<\/p>\n
When Trump was asked what concessions Putin needs to make during the upcoming talks, Trump didn’t mention any specifics but did indicate that concessions from Putin are on the table.<\/p>\n
“He’ll make concessions,\u201d Trump said. \u201cEverybody’s making concessions to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos at the World Economic Forum on Thursday. The talks between the two lasted for about an hour.<\/p>\n
“This is the last mile, which is the most difficult,\u201d Zelenskyy said following the meeting. \u201cThe dialogue is not easy, but it was positive,”<\/p>\n
After the meeting, however, Zelenskyy issued a sharp rebuke to Europe for not doing enough to stop Russia.<\/p>\n
“Too often, Europeans turn against each other — leaders, parties, movements, and communities — instead of standing together to stop Russia, which brings the same destruction to everyone. Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and middle powers,\u201d Zelenskyy said.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide — especially when America\u2019s focus shifts elsewhere — Europe looks lost, trying to convince the U.S. president to change,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Witkoff and Kushner met with Putin along with Josh Gruenbaum, who has been newly appointed by Trump as a senior adviser to his Board of Peace.<\/p>\n
![\"PHOTO:](\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/5650e541-e7d7-4fa2-83e7-261f78815a1d\/trilateral-talks-UAE_1769163539804_hpMain.jpg?w=375 "\\"Alaska\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, left, and Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, wait for their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Alexander Kazakov\/AP<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to the Kremlin.<\/p>\n Speaking to journalists afterwards, Ushakov indicated Putin will still only accept an agreement that hands control of Donbas to Russia, as Moscow alleges was outlined during the summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska last summer.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main thing is that during these negotiations between our president and the Americans, it was once again stated that without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed in Anchorage, one should not expect to achieve a long-term settlement,” Ushakov continued.<\/p>\n Ushakov maintained that the Russian Federation is sincerely interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis through political and diplomatic methods, but wouldn\u2019t retreat on the battlefield during negotiations.<\/p>\n “While this is not the case, Russia will continue to consistently achieve the goals set for the special military operation on the battlefield, where the Russian armed forces have a strategic initiative,” Ushakov said.<\/p>\n Russia\u2019s invasion has killed hundreds of thousands of Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, razed whole Ukrainian cities and forced over 5 million to flee the country, according to the United Nations.<\/p>\n The American delegation shared with Putin “first-hand” their assessments of the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy in Davos, according to the Russian delegation.<\/p>\n “Our security negotiating group has already been formed and will fly to the Emirates in the coming hours. It includes representatives of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, headed by Admiral Kostyukov, Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, ” Ushakov said.<\/p>\n In Davos, Zelenskyy suggested he doubted Russia is ready to reach a peace deal, saying \u201cI am not sure Putin wants to end this war in the situation where he is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe they want to find compromises. We are open to different steps, and I said that there are two sides that compromise,\u201d said Zelenskyy. \u201cRussians will not win this war. They did not win and will not.\u201d<\/p>\n