MOSCOW: Ukrainian, US and Russian officials are set to hold high-level security talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, the Kremlin confirmed, as diplomatic efforts to end the Ukraine war gather momentum.
The development follows late-night discussions in Moscow between US negotiators and Russian President Vladimir Putin over a US-backed proposal aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
According to the Kremlin, US envoy Steve Witkoff led the American delegation in talks with Putin that continued into the early hours of Friday. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov described the discussions as “useful in every respect”.
Witkoff and the US team are expected to travel to Abu Dhabi next, where negotiations will continue. Russia will also dispatch a delegation led by General Igor Kostyukov, head of the GRU military intelligence agency.
Ushakov said the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia would take place in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
While stressing Moscow’s interest in a political and diplomatic settlement, Ushakov said Russia would continue pursuing its objectives on the battlefield until an agreement is reached.
Witkoff has earlier suggested that negotiations were close to a breakthrough, claiming the two sides were “down to one issue”, though he did not elaborate.
The talks come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a draft agreement was “nearly ready” and that he and US President Donald Trump had reached consensus on post-war security guarantees. Zelensky added that Britain and France had already committed to deploying forces on the ground.
Ukraine’s delegation to the UAE talks will be led by National Security and Defence Council Secretary Rustem Umerov and include Lieutenant General Andriy Gnatov, chief of staff of the armed forces.
Russia, which currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory, is pressing for full control of the eastern Donbas region as part of any settlement. Kyiv has firmly rejected territorial concessions, warning that such a deal would embolden Moscow and risk future aggression.
The talks are expected to last two days, though it remains unclear whether Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet directly.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said he believed Putin and Zelensky were close to reaching a deal, while Zelensky criticised Europe’s lack of political resolve, calling the continent “fragmented” and overly reliant on US security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Russian strikes have left large parts of Kyiv without electricity and heating amid freezing temperatures. Moscow says the attacks target energy infrastructure linked to Ukraine’s military industry, while Kyiv has accused Russia of committing war crimes by targeting civilians.