US, Ukraine and Russia To Hold First Trilateral Security Talks In Abu Dhabi Since 2022 Invasion

Representatives from Ukraine, the United States and Russia are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday for what Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov called the “first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues.” Ushakov confirmed Moscow’s participation and echoed an earlier announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but did not provide a start time for the talks.

The trilateral session follows a separate Moscow meeting in which US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spent more than three hours with President Vladimir Putin. Ushakov described that discussion as “exceptionally substantive, constructive, and... extremely frank and confidential.”

Despite diplomatic momentum, Ushakov warned that a lasting settlement will be difficult "without resolving the territorial issue," and said Russia would continue to pursue its objectives "on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative," until a deal is reached. Moscow’s insistence that Ukraine cede territory it claims has been the central sticking point in previous negotiations.

Territory and Delegations

Russia currently occupies roughly 20% of internationally recognized Ukrainian territory, including nearly all of Luhansk and parts of Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Moscow has declared those territories annexed, though it does not fully control all areas it claims. Russian negotiating positions continue to press for formal control over these regions — a maximalist demand that Ukraine and many Western governments reject.

Russia’s delegation in Abu Dhabi will be led by Main Intelligence Directorate chief Admiral Igor Olegovich Kostyukov. Ukraine’s team is expected to include the deputy head of the presidential office and Chief of the General Staff, Andrii Hnatov. The White House had not issued an official comment at the time of the announcement.

Diplomacy Amid Military Signaling

Minutes after the Moscow meeting between Putin and the US envoys began, Russia disclosed that its long-range bomber aircraft conducted a scheduled five-hour patrol over the Baltic Sea — a move widely seen as a demonstration of military resolve as diplomatic efforts intensified.

Before traveling to Moscow, Witkoff told an audience in Davos that negotiators had narrowed talks "down to one issue," suggesting progress. A European official later told CNN that the remaining sticking point was territorial concessions.

At Davos, President Trump signaled that he believed a breakthrough was possible, saying he thought the leaders "are at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done, and if they don’t, they’re stupid." Ukrainian President Zelensky, also speaking in Davos, criticized European leaders for not doing more to deter Russia and reiterated that unresolved questions over territory in the east would be central to any peace process: "It’s all about the Eastern part of our country, it’s all about the land," he said.

Humanitarian Impact

On the ground in Ukraine, civilians continue to suffer. More than 1 million people have been left without heating after recent Russian missile and drone strikes damaged critical energy infrastructure amid bitter cold. Ukraine’s Energy Minister described the country’s power grid as having experienced its most difficult day since late 2022, citing "constant enemy attacks."

The trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi will be watched closely for any sign of compromise on territorial questions and whether diplomatic progress can be achieved without further escalation on the battlefield.

Reporting contributions: Sophie Tanno, Kosta Gak, Nina Subkhanberdina, Adam Cancryn, Victoria Butenko, Ivana Kottasová.