President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced on Sunday that new two-day negotiations with the ambassadors of the United States, Russia and Ukraine aimed at ending the war will begin in Abu Dhabi from Wednesday.
Zelenskyy took X and said: “The dates of the next trilateral meetings have been set – February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi. Ukraine is ready for substantive discussion, and we are interested in ensuring that the outcome brings us closer to a real and dignified end to the war.”
Ukraine, Russia and the United States concluded the second day of US-brokered trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi on January 24. Kyiv called it “constructive”.
Reflecting on the two-day talks in the United Arab Emirates, Zelenskyy referred to the first trilateral meetings in years aimed at defining potential frameworks for ending the war and identifying the security guarantees needed to uphold any future agreement.
“Our delegation has reported; the meetings in the United Arab Emirates are over,” Zelensky wrote in a post on X. He went on to say, “There was a lot of discussion and it is important that the talks be constructive.”
The meeting was attended by senior military and intelligence officials from all three parties.
The Ukrainian delegation was headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, which also included the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov.
Russia was represented by representatives of its armed forces and military intelligence, while the US team included President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and senior White House advisers.
Zelenskyy mentioned that the American delegation proposed possible frameworks for formalizing the future agreement. These included proposals for US monitoring and surveillance in the event of a cease-fire or broader peace agreement.
Russia is attacking Ukraine
Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed six people in central and southern Ukraine on Thursday, according to regional officials and emergency services, AFP reported.
The attacks come as Ukraine is experiencing its worst winter since the start of the war, with Russian attacks disrupting heating and electricity supplies for millions while temperatures remain well below freezing.
In the southern Zaporozhye region, Ukraine’s state emergency service reported that “Russian shelling killed a 62-year-old man and a woman aged 26 and 50.” In the neighboring Kherson region, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian bombing claimed the lives of a 46-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman.
The attack on Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky’s hometown, killed an elderly woman, according to the head of the city administration.
