Russia-Ukraine War: US, Russia, Ukraine conduct first tri-lateral meeting in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday the start of talks in Abu Dhabi between delegations from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine. It stated that the talks would continue on January 24.  "The talks began today in Abu Dhabi and are scheduled to continue for two days, as part of ongoing efforts to promote dialogue and find a political solution to the crisis," the ministry said in a statement.

What did the UAE say?

The statement also said that UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed hope that the talks would bring a resolution to the Ukrainian crisis closer. Earlier in the day, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Russia and the US had agreed that the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues would be held on Friday in Abu Dhabi with the participation of representatives from Russia, the US, and Ukraine.

Did US envoys meet Putin?

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with envoys of US President Donald Trump the previous day. President Putin held talks for approximately four hours with US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum. Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev also participated in the meeting on the Russian side. In a telephone conversation with reporters, Ushakov described the meeting as meaningful, constructive, and very frank.

Did Zelenskyy meet Trump?

On Thursday, Trump met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. After meeting with Zelenskyy, he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped to bring about peace between Russia and Ukraine. He also acknowledged the difficult issue of borders between the two countries.