US, Russia, Ukraine to hold first trilateral talks in UAE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that the first direct trilateral talks between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine are scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates this weekend. The announcement marks a significant step in the diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict, following Zelenskyy's recent meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Zelenskyy's Announcement and Cautious Hope

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Zelenskyy stated, "This will be the first tripartite meeting in the Emirates, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow." He noted that U.S. representatives had awaited the outcome of his meeting with Trump before proceeding. While expressing hope that Russia would be ready for compromises, Zelenskyy admitted, "Perhaps the meeting won't happen right away, perhaps we’ll have to wait. But... this is better than the complete lack of dialogue." He also indicated that documents on ending the war are nearly finalized.

Logistics and High-Level Confirmations

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that he and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, will travel to Moscow on Thursday evening for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin before proceeding directly to Abu Dhabi for the working group meetings. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier confirmed Putin's plans to meet the U.S. representatives. A White House official anonymously confirmed to Anadolu that the talks would occur in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday.

Cautious Optimism from US Leadership

U.S. Vice President JD Vance welcomed the announcement, stating, "The fact that they're sitting down and talking is progress, and I think we've made a lot of progress here." However, he tempered expectations, cautioning against predicting an imminent breakthrough. "I've been disappointed in the past where I thought we were close to a peace deal, so I'm not going to predict that anything is going to happen in the next couple of weeks," Vance said, emphasizing the ultimate goal remains ending the violence. The UAE's role as host continues its pattern of facilitating diplomacy in complex conflicts.