Russia, Ukraine, US to Hold Trilateral Talks in Abu Dhabi

Russian, Ukrainian and United States negotiators are set to hold their first-ever trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday, marking a fresh diplomatic push to address security issues and explore a possible path toward ending the war in Ukraine.

The announcement was made in Moscow by Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov after nearly four hours of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a visiting American delegation. Ushakov said the decision to convene the meeting in the United Arab Emirates was reached during those discussions and that the talks would focus primarily on security-related matters.

“It was agreed that today, Friday, January 23, the first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues will take place in Abu Dhabi. The group will include representatives from Russia, the United States and Ukraine,” Ushakov told reporters.

According to him, the Russian delegation has already been formed, has received direct instructions from the president and will depart for the UAE shortly. The Russian side will be led by Igor Kostyukov, the head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces.

The American delegation that met Putin in the Kremlin included special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as well as Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum. Russia was represented at the Kremlin meeting by Kirill Dmitriev, the presidential envoy for investment and economic cooperation, and Ushakov himself.

In parallel with the trilateral meeting, a separate bilateral discussion on economic issues is also scheduled in Abu Dhabi between Dmitriev and Witkoff, underlining that both sides are looking not only at security but also at the broader economic framework that could follow any future settlement.

Ushakov praised Washington’s role in organizing the talks, saying the United States “has done a lot” to prepare the ground and is counting on the meeting to produce concrete results.

“It must be acknowledged that the Americans did a lot to prepare for this meeting. They hope it will be successful and open up opportunities to move forward across the entire range of issues related to ending the conflict and reaching a peaceful settlement,” he said.

He added that US representatives are already working on draft plans that could be put into action after a settlement is reached.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed on Thursday that the meeting in the UAE would last two days, on January 23 and 24. While he did not go into detail about the agenda, he announced the composition of Ukraine’s delegation. It will include the head of the Presidential Administration Kyrylo Budanov, his first deputy Sergiy Kyslytsya, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, lawmaker David Arahammia, and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov.

Ushakov said the Kremlin talks with the American delegation focused heavily on hearing Washington’s assessment of its recent contacts with Ukrainian and European officials.

“The meeting between the Russian president and the American representatives was specifically aimed at obtaining information about the results of the Americans’ contacts with Ukrainians and European partners and jointly determining the parameters of further actions,” he said.

The US side also shared its view of President Donald Trump’s recent meeting with Zelenskyy in Davos, Switzerland. Ushakov noted that the American officials arrived in Moscow directly from Davos, where they had taken part in several events with Trump, including discussions linked to the Ukrainian settlement.

At the same time, Ushakov stressed that Russia made its position clear: without resolving territorial issues, a lasting peace agreement would be impossible.

Both sides agreed to maintain close contact on Ukraine and other international issues. The Kremlin meeting also touched on Trump’s initiative to create a “Board of Peace” and on the situation around Greenland.

On the proposed Board of Peace, Ushakov said Russia reaffirmed its readiness to allocate $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the previous US administration to the budget of the new structure. He added that the remaining frozen funds could be directed toward rebuilding territories affected by the fighting once peace is concluded. Discussions on this issue, he said, would continue within the bilateral economic working group.

The White House announced the formation of the Board of Peace last week, along with the approval of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, one of four bodies meant to manage the enclave’s transitional phase. According to statements by world leaders invited to join the board, membership is free for the first three years, after which permanent membership would cost $1 billion. Several countries, including Belarus, have already accepted the invitation.

President Putin said earlier this week that he had instructed the Russian Foreign Ministry to study the proposal.

With delegations now heading to Abu Dhabi, the talks are being closely watched as the first direct trilateral format involving Russia, Ukraine and the United States, and as a possible opening step toward a broader diplomatic process to end the conflict.