UAE trilateral may not break Ukraine logjam despite renewed peace talks

Zelenskyy resisting Russia's demand to cede Donetsk region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the future of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region will be a key focus as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday for talks to end Russia’s invasion. 

The three-way talks come hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with US President Donald Trump's envoys during marathon overnight talks. The Kremlin insisted that to reach a peace deal, Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed but never fully captured. 

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, reiterated his openness to establishing a free trade zone under Ukraine's control in the country's east. He said he discussed the proposal with Trump in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, and told reporters: "I think it will be positive for our business." It's unclear if Friday's talks would see the Ukrainian and Russian sides meeting in the same room. Zelenskyy said that he would brief European partners on the outcome. 

 

“Today’s meeting will be in the format of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, and afterwards the Europeans will certainly receive feedback from us,” he told journalists in a WhatsApp audio message. 

The Kremlin offered little detail beyond calling the meeting a “working group on security issues.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian delegation, headed by Adm. Kostyukov, comprises military officials. He said the talks could extend into Saturday “if necessary.” Separately, Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev will hold talks with Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff on economic issues, he confirmed. 

The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3 am on Friday came hours after Zelenskyy sharply criticised his European allies on Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response that he said has left Ukraine at the mercy of Putin.