Rare Russia, Ukraine, US Talks Set for Abu Dhabi in 2026
Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators are due to meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday in what officials describe as the first talks attended by all three sides since Moscow launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
The Kremlin confirmed Russia’s participation after President Vladimir Putin held late night talks in Moscow with senior US envoys. While Russian officials described those discussions as productive and candid, they stressed that a lasting peace agreement would remain out of reach until territorial disputes are resolved.
The announcement comes as diplomatic pressure intensifies on all sides, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky using the World Economic Forum in Davos to criticise Europe for what he called a lack of political will in confronting Russia.
Moscow signals interest, but draws red lines
Present at Thursday’s meeting with Putin were three US representatives, including peace envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the four hour discussion was substantive, constructive and unusually frank.
However, Ushakov reiterated that Russia would not agree to a durable settlement without resolving what Moscow calls the territorial question.
“Until this issue is settled according to the formula agreed in Anchorage, there is no prospect of a long term agreement,” Ushakov said, referring to last year’s Trump Putin summit in Alaska. He added that Russia would continue pursuing the objectives of what it calls its special military operation until a diplomatic outcome is achieved.
Despite that stance, Ushakov said Putin had underlined Russia’s sincere interest in a negotiated solution.
Zelensky: land remains the core issue
Speaking in Davos after meeting Trump, Zelensky acknowledged that territory remains the central unresolved issue ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.
“It’s all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,” he told reporters, adding that any agreement would require compromises from Russia, not only from Ukraine.
Russia is demanding that Kyiv give up the remaining 25 percent of the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control. Zelensky has repeatedly rejected that demand, arguing it would strip Ukraine of key defensive positions and leave the country vulnerable to future offensives.
Zelensky said the meeting in the United Arab Emirates appeared to have been arranged at short notice by Washington. “I hope the Emirates know about it,” he joked, before stressing the seriousness of the talks by naming some of Ukraine’s most senior officials as negotiators.
Ukraine’s delegation will include Rustem Umerov, head of the national security and defence council, Kyrylo Budanov, Zelensky’s chief of staff, lead negotiator David Arakhamia, and chief of the general staff Andrii Hnatov.
Russia’s team will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, head of the GRU military intelligence agency. Separately, Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to meet Witkoff to discuss economic issues.
Competing visions for eastern Ukraine
Zelensky has previously said a 20 point US peace plan is about 90 percent complete. As part of earlier proposals, he has offered to withdraw Ukrainian troops up to 40km from parts of eastern Ukraine to create a demilitarised economic zone in Donbas, provided Russia does the same.
The US proposal envisions Donbas becoming a demilitarised free economic zone, in exchange for robust security guarantees for Ukraine. Zelensky said he and Trump had reached an understanding on future US security guarantees, though he offered no details and noted that any deal would require approval from both the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.
Another major sticking point remains control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, seized by Russian forces in March 2022 and Europe’s largest nuclear facility.
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Friction with Europe spills over in Davos
The confirmation of trilateral talks followed a fiery speech by Zelensky in Davos, where he accused European allies of failing to translate rhetoric into action.
“Just last year here in Davos, I said Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed and nothing has changed,” he said, warning against a never ending cycle of delay.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed back, saying Europe’s actions spoke louder than words. She cited more than €193bn in support for Ukraine over four years, with an additional €90bn pledged for the next two.
Zelensky later said Ukraine had secured commitments for a new air defence package and claimed Russian forces were suffering losses of around 45,000 troops a month.
War continues as diplomacy gathers pace
Even as talks approach, fighting continues on the ground. Russian strikes hit the town of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region, killing one person and injuring 10, according to local authorities. In Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s home city, drone and missile attacks injured 13 people, including four children, and damaged homes, schools and critical infrastructure.
Separately, France said its navy had intercepted a Russian tanker in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of the so called shadow fleet used to bypass oil sanctions. Zelensky used his Davos speech to urge Europe to take a tougher line against such networks, arguing they allow Russia to keep funding the war.
Meanwhile, S&P Global Ratings said Ukraine is no longer considered in default after completing a securities exchange linked to a missed 2025 payment. The agency noted that while some commercial debt remains under restructuring, Ukraine’s finances remain fragile and heavily dependent on continued allied support and the course of the war.
As delegations head to Abu Dhabi, expectations of a breakthrough remain cautious. Both Kyiv and Moscow are signalling readiness to talk, but neither appears willing to compromise on the territorial lines that have defined nearly four years of conflict.
