This photo, taken and released by the UAE Presidential Court, shows UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (C) speaking with the heads of delegations at the UAE-hosted trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine, at the Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, on January 23, 2026. - / AFP
Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States met Friday, January 23, in Abu Dhabi for the first direct negotiations on a plan being pushed by US President Donald Trump to end the almost four-year-long war.
The US initially drafted a plan to end the conflict that was heavily criticized in Kyiv and western Europe for being too close to Russia's line, while later proposals were criticized by Moscow for floating the idea of European peacekeepers.
Ahead of Friday's talks, which are set to continue on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said territory remained the key issue – with Moscow having said it is not dropping its demand that Kyiv pull out of its eastern Donbas region.
After the first day of talks, Ukraine's chief negotiator Rustem Umerov posted on social media that the meeting had focused "on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process," adding that meetings were scheduled for Saturday.
