Russia has announced plans to take part in security talks with the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Friday, while making clear that any lasting peace remains out of reach unless territorial disputes are settled. The announcement followed an extended late night meeting in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and senior U.S. representatives, a session the Kremlin described as serious, candid, and wide-ranging, but far from decisive.
According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, the discussions began shortly before midnight and stretched for roughly four hours. He said the exchange was substantive and constructive, reflecting a willingness to engage at a high level. Russia’s delegation for the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks will be led by Admiral Igor Kostyukov, head of military intelligence, while Kirill Dmitriev, Moscow’s investment envoy, is expected to hold separate discussions with U.S. officials on economic matters, including talks with Steve Witkoff, a close envoy of President Donald Trump.
Despite the tone described by the Kremlin, Ushakov cautioned against reading the meeting as a breakthrough. He stressed that Putin reiterated a long held position that a durable settlement is impossible without resolving territorial questions based on a framework discussed at last year’s Trump Putin summit in Alaska. While Putin, according to Ushakov, emphasized Russia’s sincere interest in diplomacy, he also made clear that Moscow would continue pursuing the objectives of what it calls its special military operation until those conditions are met. Ushakov added that Russia believes it retains the strategic initiative on the battlefield.
The talks come as Ukraine faces one of the most punishing periods of the war. Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the winter, leaving large parts of Kyiv and other cities without electricity and heating in subzero temperatures. Ukrainian officials cite these strikes as evidence that Moscow is not genuinely seeking peace, an accusation Russia rejects, arguing that its advances have been slow and costly.
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On the Russian side, Putin was joined by Ushakov and Dmitriev. The U.S. delegation included Witkoff, Trump’s son in law Jared Kushner, and Josh Gruenbaum, recently appointed as a senior adviser to Trump’s Board of Peace, a body aimed at addressing global conflicts. Kushner last met Putin in the Kremlin in early December, underscoring the informal but influential channels involved.
These contacts form part of Trump’s renewed push to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two, now nearing the end of its fourth year. Trump said this week that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would be foolish to miss the chance for a deal.
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Before traveling to Moscow, Witkoff suggested that months of negotiations had narrowed the dispute to a single core issue. While he did not specify it, territorial control remains the central obstacle. Russia is demanding that Ukraine relinquish the roughly 20 percent of the Donetsk region it still holds, a condition Zelenskiy has repeatedly rejected. Moscow also insists Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and opposes any future NATO troop presence.
After meeting Trump in Switzerland, Zelenskiy said security guarantees for Ukraine had been finalized, but acknowledged that the territorial question remains unresolved. Ushakov praised Washington’s role in organizing the Abu Dhabi meeting, saying U.S. efforts had laid the groundwork for potential progress across the full range of issues tied to ending the war.