Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated Kyiv’s demand that Russia end the war it launched, as negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States held trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates.
“Russia must end the war it started; our position is clear," Zelenskyy said, commenting on the discussions, the first involving all three sides since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago.
The talks, held in Abu Dhabi, come amid continued fighting. Early Saturday, Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and ballistic missile assault, prompting air defences to activate across the capital, Ukrainian officials said.
US officials described the initial round of talks as “productive" and said discussions would continue on Saturday.
Zelenskyy, however, cautioned against drawing early conclusions. In a statement posted on X late Friday, he said Ukrainian representatives were briefing him hourly but stressed that it was “too early to assess the substance" of the negotiations.
“The main thing is that Russia must be ready to end this war, which it itself started," Zelenskyy said, adding that he had set clear parameters for Ukraine’s delegation.
“We will see how the conversation develops and what results it produces."
The UAE talks follow an extended meeting earlier this week in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys, which the Kremlin described as “useful."
However, major disagreements remain, particularly over territory. Moscow is demanding that Ukraine relinquish control of the roughly 25 per cent of the Donetsk region it still holds, a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
Zelenskyy has previously said a US-backed, 20-point peace framework is close to completion, with the status of Donbas in eastern Ukraine among the unresolved issues.
He has floated the idea of a mutual troop withdrawal of up to 40 kilometres to establish a demilitarised, free economic zone in the region, provided Russia agrees to similar steps. The US proposal reportedly links such an arrangement to long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s delegation in Abu Dhabi is led by national security and defence council chief Rustem Umerov, alongside senior officials including Kyrylo Budanov and negotiator David Arakhamia.
They are being joined by the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov. Russia’s team is headed by GRU director General Igor Kostyukov, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev is holding separate discussions with US envoy Steve Witkoff on economic matters.
The US delegation includes Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier talks with US officials were “substantive and frank" but underscored that a durable peace would be impossible without resolving territorial disputes.
Until then, he said, Russia would continue pursuing what it calls its “special military operation."
Alongside the diplomacy, fighting continues to exact a toll. Both sides reported overnight drone attacks in recent days, with a Russian oil depot hit in the Penza region and multiple Ukrainian locations struck.
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure have left parts of Ukraine facing winter conditions without reliable heating or electricity.
Zelenskyy has also been engaging Western partners. On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, he met Trump for talks he described as “very positive," saying they had reached an understanding on future US security guarantees for Ukraine, subject to approval by both the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.
Source: News18