Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday highlighted progress made by Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators in the United Arab Emirates’ capital Abu Dhabi, even though the path to peace remains uncertain.
“Many things were discussed, but it is important that the dialogue was constructive,” Zelenskiy wrote on social media, adding that “the central focus of the discussions was the possible conditions for ending the war.”
The trilateral talks, held on Friday and Saturday, were the first time officials from all three countries met together since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. A U.S. official said the meeting was an important step forward after months of silent diplomacy, stressing that while a final agreement was not guaranteed, progress could not have been made without face-to-face talks.
The diplomatic effort comes as Russia launches its largest night air raid on Ukraine so far this year.
Although no breakthrough was achieved during the two-day session, both parties expressed hope for a future agreement.
“If we are ready to move forward, and if Ukraine is ready, further talks could be held as early as next week,” Zelenskiy said.
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff similarly called the meeting “very constructive” and said “plans have been made to continue the dialogue next week in Abu Dhabi.”
“President Trump and his entire team are dedicated to bringing peace to this war,” Witkoff said.
The next round of talks will begin in Abu Dhabi on February 1, U.S. officials said.
President Zelenskiy said on Sunday that a document outlining Ukraine’s security demands, an important issue for the country’s postwar stability, was “100% ready.”
He said Kiev now wants to set a time and place for signing the contract.
“For us, security is primarily bilateral security with the United States. The document is 100% ready. We hope that our partners will be ready about the date, time and place of signing,” Zelenskiy said at a press conference in Lithuania.
He added that the document would then need to be approved by the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament.
The United States has been leading bilateral negotiations with Ukraine and Russia for months, trying to resolve outstanding issues as fighting escalates.
In Abu Dhabi, negotiators discussed a revised 20-point plan that would address territorial, economic, security and other issues.
Despite progress touted by the U.S. and Ukrainian sides, the issue of dividing the territory into two remained a point of contention, with no clear resolution in sight.
Control of the eastern region of Ukraine, known as the Donbass region, consisting of the coal-rich Donetsk and Luhansk regions, is a core demand of Russia.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine’s departure from Donbas remained an important condition for Russia.
“Russia’s position is well known. Ukrainian troops must leave Donbas and withdraw from there. This is a very important condition,” Peskov said.
After the meeting, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated to the state news agency TASS that Russia wants to develop a plan that “fully corresponds to the basic understanding” reached by President Vladimir Putin and President Trump at their summit in Alaska last year.
The agreement provided for Ukraine to cede the remainder of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in exchange for a ceasefire.
Ukraine has consistently rejected the idea of conceding territory for a peace deal.
In between the Abu Dhabi talks, Russia continued its offensive against Ukraine, targeting the capital Kiev and Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkov with a barrage of missile and drone strikes.
At least one person was killed and four others were injured in Kyiv, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Klitschko said falling debris started fires, damaged buildings and left about 6,000 apartment buildings in Kiev without heat in the middle of a bitterly cold winter.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha accused President Putin of “cynically” ordering a “savage attack” as the diplomatic process unfolded in Abu Dhabi.
“Every Russian attack on our energy infrastructure proves that there should be no delays in the supply of air defense equipment. We cannot turn a blind eye to these attacks. We must respond with a strong response,” President Zelenskiy said on Facebook.
On Sunday, President Zelenskiy said Russia had “done everything possible” to use the peace process to gain full control of eastern Ukraine, but said it was “not yet able to do it” on the battlefield.
He stressed that Ukraine’s territorial integrity should be respected.
“We are fighting for our country, for what is ours. We are not fighting on foreign territory. What questions do we have?” said the Ukrainian president.
The United States is demanding territorial concessions from Ukraine, which President Trump has characterized as a necessary trade-off to reach a peace deal with Russia.
Zelenskiy acknowledged that finding common ground between the two “fundamentally different positions” would require compromise.
“These are just the first steps to finding a compromise,” he added. “But to compromise, all sides must be ready to compromise. And by the way, this includes the American side.”
