The first trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States have ended without a clear breakthrough, as Russia continues to launch attacks across Ukraine.
The two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi concluded amid overnight Russian strikes that killed one person and injured at least 35 others, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attacks as “brutal” and “cynically” ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying they struck not only civilians but also the peace process itself.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said discussions during the talks were “constructive” and covered a wide range of issues related to ending the war. Writing on X, he suggested a follow-up meeting could take place as early as next week, adding that all sides had agreed to report back to their leaders and coordinate next steps.
The Abu Dhabi meeting marked the first direct three-way talks involving Moscow, Kyiv and Washington since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Zelensky said the central focus was on potential parameters for ending the conflict, including American monitoring and oversight to guarantee security.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that Moscow remains open to further dialogue. However, continued bombardment has raised doubts about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy. Sybiha said the overnight attacks demonstrated that Putin “belongs not at the table of peace, but at the dock of a special tribunal.”
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed and four were wounded, with critical infrastructure damaged and 6,000 buildings left without heating as temperatures fell to around -12C. In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported 31 injuries, with a maternity hospital and a shelter for displaced people among the damaged buildings.
Zelensky said Russia’s main target was Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, following a similar attack last week that disrupted power in the capital and forced him to delay travel to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Russia currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including parts of the Donbas region and Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. The Kremlin has demanded territorial concessions as part of any settlement, a position Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Speaking in Davos, Zelensky said land remains the core unresolved issue, but added that he has reached an understanding with US President Donald Trump on future American security guarantees for Ukraine. Any agreement, he said, would require approval from both the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.
Ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met President Putin in Moscow. While the Kremlin said Russia remains committed to a political settlement, it reiterated that any lasting deal would require resolving territorial claims a condition Ukraine continues to oppose.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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