First US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral talks to be held in UAE from today

The US, Ukraine and Russia will hold their first trilateral meeting in the UAE, as efforts to end the Ukraine war intensify following talks between President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy

A trilateral meeting involving officials from the United States (US), Ukraine and Russia will be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Friday (local time), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Thursday.

 

Zelenskyy announced while speaking at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, where global leaders have gathered for the annual meeting.

 

The announcement came after US President Donald Trump met Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the WEF on Thursday. Trump described the meeting as productive but cautioned that a final settlement is still some distance away. "The war has to end," Trump said after the meeting. "We hope it's going to end. There are a lot of people being killed."

 

 

"It's an ongoing process," he added. "Everybody wants the war to end."

 

Zelenskyy also called the discussion “positive” and said that was “enough” to say publicly about the meeting.

 

‘Last mile’ of talks remains difficult: Zelenskyy

 

Zelenskyy acknowledged that negotiations were reaching a critical and challenging phase. He said the "last mile of negotiations is very difficult".

 

"During any dialogue with any president, I have to defend the interests of my country. That's why the dialogue is maybe, it's not simple," he said. "But it was today. It was positive."

 

According to CNN, US envoy Steve Witkoff said talks to end the war were now “down to one issue”. A European official told the network that the remaining hurdle was related to territorial disputes.   

 

Zelenskyy criticises Europe over Ukraine response

 

In his WEF speech, Zelenskyy criticised European leaders for what he described as slow or weak action on Ukraine. He compared Europe’s response to the war with its swift reactions in recent days to developments involving Greenland.

 

Trump also addressed developments related to Greenland, saying current negotiations give the US “total access” for defence purposes. According to reports, Trump earlier said a framework deal on Greenland had been reached, while ruling out the use of military force or new tariffs on European countries opposing the move.

 

Talks 'reasonably close': Trump on Russia, Ukraine

 

Trump said both Russia and Ukraine want to reach a settlement to end the war, claiming negotiations were “reasonably close” despite deep hostility between the two sides.

 

At Davos, Trump said a deal was possible despite tensions between the leaders of the two countries.

 

"...With Ukraine-Russia, there's tremendous hatred between President Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. That's not good for settlements. There's abnormal hatred. With that being said, I think Russia wants to make a deal. I think Ukraine wants to make a deal and we're going to try getting a deal done. We're reasonably close," Trump said.

 

Trump also played down Washington’s responsibility in the conflict, arguing that the war was mainly Europe’s problem. He criticised Nato, saying the alliance treats the United States “very unfairly".

 

He repeated his claim that the war would not have happened if he had been president at the time and again alleged that the 2020 US elections were “rigged".

 

Questioning the benefits for the US, Trump asked what the country had gained “other than death, destruction, and massive amounts of cash going to people who don't appreciate what we do?”

 

"(I'm) talking about Nato, I'm talking about Europe. They have to work on Ukraine. We don't. The United States is very far away. We have a big, beautiful ocean separating us. We have nothing to do with it," he said.

 

Trump says direct talks with Zelenskyy underway

 

Trump said he was directly engaging with Zelenskyy to push for an end to the war. At the time of Trump’s speech in Davos, Zelenskyy was in Kyiv. Trump said he planned to meet him later in the day as discussions continued.

 

"I'm dealing with President Zelenskyy, and I think he wants to make a deal," Trump said.

 

According to CNN, the meeting came as Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to Moscow for talks with Putin.

 

"I believe they're at a point now where they can come together and get a deal done, and if they don't, they're stupid," Trump added, referring to Zelenskyy and Putin.

 

(With agency inputs)