Russia has reiterated that it will only accept a peace deal if Ukrainian forces withdraw from the Donbas, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said as trilateral talks began in Abu Dhabi. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called control of Russian-occupied territory the final sticking point for a ceasefire and rejected any agreement that formally cedes land. Kyiv is pressing for Western security guarantees, including a U.S. "backstop," while the U.K. and France have offered forces to help monitor a ceasefire.
Russia Insists Ukraine Withdraw From Donbas as Precondition for Any Peace Deal
A Ukrainian flag is seen attached to a burned car at the site of a heavily damaged residential building following Russian airstrike in the city of Ternopil, Nov. 19, 2025, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. / Credit: YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP/Getty(YURIY DYACHYSHYN/AFP via Getty Images)
As trilateral talks between Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. officials opened in Abu Dhabi, Moscow made clear it will not abandon President Vladimir Putin's demand that Ukrainian troops leave the eastern Donbas region as a precondition for any peace agreement.
Diplomatic Standoff in Abu Dhabi
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow's position to reporters:
"Russia's position is well known: Ukraine and its armed forces must leave the Donbas. They must be withdrawn. This is a very important condition."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said control over Russian-occupied territory remains the final stumbling block to a ceasefire. Zelenskyy told journalists that the unresolved issue is "all about the eastern part of our country. It's all about the land... This is the issue which we [have] not solved yet."
What Is at Stake
The same territorial dispute derailed hopes for a peace deal late last year. Russia has repeatedly framed control of the Donbas as central to any settlement and has threatened to seize full control of the region if talks collapse. Ukrainian leaders, backed by European partners and NATO, warn that formally ceding land to Moscow would embolden further aggression against Ukraine and potentially other neighbors.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Trump in Davos, Switzerland, during the World Economic Forum, Jan. 23, 2026. / Credit: Ukranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu/Getty
Background
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 after annexing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. In September 2022, President Putin declared that four regions of eastern Ukraine — including parts of the Donbas — had been annexed following locally organized votes widely dismissed by most of the international community as illegitimate. Those annexations have not been recognized by the United States, the United Nations or most countries, which consider them unlawful.
The nearly four-year conflict has killed tens of thousands of people. Russian forces continue to make incremental advances in parts of the Donbas while Ukrainian troops, supported by U.S. and European assistance, defend their territory.
Security Guarantees and Western Role
Kyiv has refused to sign any peace agreement that formally cedes occupied land to Russia. Instead, Ukraine is pressing for Western security guarantees that would include a U.S. "backstop" to deter future aggression. Speaking in Davos at the World Economic Forum, Zelenskyy said the U.K. and France were prepared to commit forces on the ground to monitor a ceasefire, but that a U.S. guarantee would still be required.
Zelenskyy described a recent meeting with former President Trump and his team as "really positive," saying a core agreement on security guarantees was ready and that Kyiv was awaiting a date and place to sign the documents it deems essential.
Outlook
While the fact that delegations from Kyiv and Moscow met face-to-face with U.S. envoys in Abu Dhabi was taken by some as modest progress, there has been no sign of movement on the core territorial demand. With both sides holding firm, the Donbas dispute remains the principal obstacle to a negotiated ceasefire.
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