Overview
- The two-day meeting marked the first trilateral contact since 2022, with all sides describing the exchanges as constructive.
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the process early-stage and reiterated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donbas remains a key Russian demand.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a security guarantees document is 100% complete and will require ratification by the U.S. Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.
- U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said the talks were very constructive and confirmed plans to reconvene in Abu Dhabi, with officials indicating a Feb. 1 restart.
- As negotiations proceeded, Russia carried out large-scale missile and drone strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv, causing casualties and widespread heating outages, according to local authorities.