Overview
- The opening session convened Friday in Abu Dhabi, marking the first three-way meeting aimed at negotiating an end to the war.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a long-term deal requires Ukrainian forces to leave all of Donbas, framing territorial terms as the core barrier to agreement.
- Ukraine’s team includes Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Sergiy Kyslytsya, David Arakhamia and Gen. Andrii Hnatov, while Russia is led by GRU chief Igor Kostyukov and the U.S. is represented by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
- A parallel economic track is planned between Witkoff and Kremlin economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev, complementing security-focused discussions.
- There is no public confirmation that Russian and Ukrainian delegates will meet directly, and the talks follow Zelensky’s meeting with President Trump in Davos and U.S. envoys’ overnight discussions with Putin in Moscow.