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By Shane Croucher
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. would continue "next week," though the timings are yet to be confirmed. Peskov also called the talks so far in Abu Dhabi "constructive," echoing conclusions from Ukraine and the U.S. in a signal that progress is being made toward peace.
The White House is trying to broker an end to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, a full-scale invasion that will see its fourth anniversary in February. President Donald Trump has made ending the war a priority but has struggled to bridge the gap between the two sides on the division of territory—the central issue in peace talks.
Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over control of all of its eastern Donbas region, which comprises the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Around 80 percent of the Donbas is occupied by Russian forces. But Ukraine still controls two fortified cities in Donetsk—Kramatorsk and Sloviansk—and analysts say it could take Russia years to conquer them.
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Ukraine objects for moral and legal reasons, saying it does not want to reward Russia's war of aggression and that it is constitutionally bound to hold a referendum on territorial concessions—but is prohibited from doing so due to the country's state of martial law, declared because of the war. Moscow has repeatedly rejected Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
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“The very fact that these contacts have started in a constructive manner can be assessed positively,” Peskov said, originally in Russian, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Peskov also said there were no plans so far for contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, but it could be arranged swiftly if necessary.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had said on Saturday that talks would continue in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, after two days of trilateral meetings there. "Talks were very constructive, and plans were made to continue conversations next week in Abu Dhabi. President Trump and his entire team are dedicated to bringing peace to this war," Witkoff said in a post on X.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday after the trilateral meetings had concluded that "a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive."
"The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war. I highly value the understanding of the need for American monitoring and oversight of the process of ending the war and ensuring genuine security," Zelensky said in a post on X, emphasizing Kyiv's push for security guarantees against future aggression by Russia.
"The American side raised the issue of potential formats for formalizing the parameters for ending the war, as well as the security conditions required to achieve this."
He added: "The military representatives identified a list of issues for a potential next meeting. Provided there is readiness to move forward—and Ukraine is ready—further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week."
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