Historic: Zelenskyy, Trump set stage for first US-Russia-Ukraine talks in UAE – could this end the war? | World News

Russia-Ukraine war: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that after his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Davos, representatives from Kiev, Russia and the USA will come together for trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying that this is the first such meeting between the three countries. These talks are planned to be held in Abu Dhabi on Friday, January 23 and Saturday, January 24. Zelenskyy called it an important step towards restoring peace after Russia’s invasion.

He said the trilateral meetings would follow the efforts of US negotiators, including envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are expected to visit Moscow before traveling to the UAE to begin detailed working-level discussions on military and diplomatic issues.

In Davos, he described his talks with Trump as positive and said progress on key documents aimed at ending the war, including proposals for security guarantees and rebuilding Ukraine’s economy once hostilities end. Although he acknowledged that the core territorial issue still needed resolution, he said his meeting with the US president had strengthened his hopes for talks in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to reporters after his meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump emphasized that the message he would give to Russian President Vladimir Putin would be to end the war and reach an agreement. He said the meeting with Zelenskyy was productive and noted that talks with Russia were progressing, but offered few specific details about the timeline or final results.

As part of this diplomatic push, a US delegation was already expected to travel to Moscow to meet with Russian officials; This shows that there was coordination between Washington and the Kremlin ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks.

Zelenskyy made it clear that for the negotiations to be successful, it is necessary for all parties to be ready to compromise. He also said he hoped Moscow would engage constructively once trilateral talks begin. He also said documents that would formalize a plan to end the war were nearing completion.

a nice meeting with @POTUS — productive and important. We discussed the work of our teams and there are meetings or communications almost every day. Documents are now even better prepared. Today we also talked about Ukraine’s air defense. Our previous meeting… pic.twitter.com/E1j8kpJazN— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 22, 2026

The announcement of the tripartite talks comes amid ongoing global concerns about the human and economic toll of the conflict sparked by Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. While there is some international pressure for peace, the talks in Abu Dhabi represent unprecedented direct engagement involving all three countries.

As Russia’s air and ground operations continue to strain Ukraine’s infrastructure and energy resources, the diplomatic efforts underscore a growing urgency among world leaders to explore all possible paths to end the war in a way that addresses security, reconstruction and territorial issues that have emerged during nearly four years of conflict.

The tripartite meeting in the UAE is being closely watched by capitals around the world; Diplomats and analysts hope this rare tripartite engagement could unlock a path to peace that has remained elusive despite years of repeated negotiations.