Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Jan 24: Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met in Abu Dhabi on Friday for the first direct talks on a peace plan being pushed by US President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year-long war in Ukraine. The discussions are scheduled to continue on Saturday, according to officials.
The talks come amid intensified diplomatic efforts by Washington, though earlier US-drafted proposals were criticised in Kyiv and western Europe for being too close to Russia’s position, while later ideas were opposed by Moscow for suggesting the deployment of European peacekeepers.
After the first day of negotiations, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said the discussions focused on “the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process”, adding that further meetings were planned.
The UAE foreign ministry said the two-day talks were part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis.
Ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the issue of territory remained central, with Russia refusing to drop its demand that Ukraine withdraw from the eastern Donbas region. Zelensky, who met Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, said both leaders had discussed post-war security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Moscow reiterated its position following talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s demand that Ukrainian forces leave the Donbas region remained unchanged, calling it a “very important condition”.
Kyiv has rejected the demand, saying it still controls around 20 per cent of the Donbas and will not agree to terms it views as capitulation.
The Abu Dhabi talks took place as Russian strikes left thousands of residents in Kyiv without heating in sub-zero temperatures. The European Union accused Moscow of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, while Ukrainian authorities reported multiple civilian deaths in the Kharkiv region and eastern Ukraine.
Both sides acknowledge that the future of eastern Ukraine remains one of the biggest obstacles to ending the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators last met face-to-face in Istanbul last year, with talks limited to prisoner exchanges. The Abu Dhabi meeting marks the first direct engagement between the two sides on the Trump administration’s peace initiative.
While Moscow has said it is interested in a diplomatic resolution, Russian officials have also warned that the country will continue pursuing its objectives on the battlefield if talks fail. Trump, meanwhile, has expressed confidence that both sides are close to a deal, while urging them to reach an agreement soon.