Kiev [Ukraine], January 24: On January 23, delegations of US, Russian, and Ukrainian officials met in Abu Dhabi (UAE) to address key obstacles to an agreement ending hostilities.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump 's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow late on January 22, lasting approximately four hours, according to Reuters. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov described the meeting as "substantive, constructive, and very frank," but reiterated that lasting peace cannot be achieved without resolving the territorial issue. "Until a diplomatic solution is reached, Russia will continue to steadfastly pursue the goals of its special military operation," Ushakov stated.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the territorial issue would be discussed at a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, expected to last two days. Earlier, Zelensky met with President Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On his way back home, the US leader said that disagreements from the past few months of talks remained, with "boundaries" being the key issue. However, Trump noted that both Putin and Zelensky wanted to reach an agreement and that everyone "was making concessions" in an attempt to end the conflict.
The trilateral meeting took place after Zelensky criticized his European allies in Davos for their slow, disjointed response and lack of political will toward Russia. The Ukrainian president said a preliminary peace agreement was nearing completion and that he had agreed with Trump on post-conflict security guarantees, awaiting only a signing date. According to AFP, Zelensky said that Britain and France had committed to deploying forces. On the other hand, the leader considered Moscow's proposal to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild Russian territory, including Kursk, "absurd."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
