Ukrainian, US and Russian officials will hold security talks in the United Arab Emirates today (January 23), the Kremlin said, following a meeting in Moscow between top American negotiators and President Vladimir Putin on a US-drafted plan to end the war in Ukraine.
Diplomatic efforts to end Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II have accelerated in recent months, even as Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds over the key issue of territories in a possible post-war deal.
According to a Kremlin note, US negotiators, led by envoy Steve Witkoff, spoke with the Russian leader in Moscow. Kremlin diplomatic adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters the talks were “useful in every respect.” Witkoff and the U.S. team will then fly to Abu Dhabi, where talks are expected to continue.
A Russian delegation, led by General Igor Kostyukov, director of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, will also travel there “in the next few hours”. “It was agreed that the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues will be held today in Abu Dhabi,” Ushakov added. “We are sincerely interested in resolving (the conflict) through political and diplomatic means. Until this happens, Russia will continue to achieve its goals on the battlefield.”
A video published by the Kremlin showed a smiling Putin shaking hands with Witkoff, Jared Kushner – son-in-law of US President Donald Trump – and White House adviser Josh Gruenbaum.
The high-tension meeting came just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a draft agreement was “almost, almost ready” and that he and Trump had agreed on the issue of post-war security guarantees. He also said the UK and France had already committed to sending forces to the ground.
Russia, which occupies about 20% of Ukraine, is pushing for full control of the eastern Donbas region as part of a deal. But Kyiv has warned that giving up territory would embolden Moscow and says it will not sign a peace deal that does not dissuade Russia from launching a new offensive.
“Fragmented” Europe
Full details of the upcoming talks in the United Arab Emirates have not been released, and it is unclear whether Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet face-to-face. Zelensky said these talks would last two days.
Trump reiterated his oft-expressed belief Wednesday that Putin and Zelensky are close to a deal. “I think they’re at a point now where they can come together and make a deal. And if they don’t, they’re stupid – that goes for both of them,” he said after giving a speech in Davos.
Zelensky, in his speech in Davos, attacked the European Union’s lack of “political will” to counter Putin with a heated speech. “Instead of becoming a truly global power, Europe remains a beautiful but fragmented kaleidoscope of small and medium powers,” he said.
Dramatic turns in Trump’s foreign policy, including his recent attempt to take control of Greenland – a self-governing Danish territory – have raised concerns in Europe about how reliable Washington can be considered a security partner.
In his speech, Zelensky criticized Europe for pinning hopes on the United States to defend it in the event of aggression. “Europe seems lost in trying to convince the president of the United States to change,” Zelensky said.
Russian attacks this week have left large parts of Kyiv without electricity, with residents of 4,000 buildings without heat in subzero temperatures.
Russia, which launched its offensive against Ukraine in February 2022, says its attacks target energy infrastructure that powers Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex.” Kyiv claims the attacks are a war crime designed to force the civilian population to surrender.
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