Here’s the latest on the first trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and US as negotiators set plans for future meeting

Here’s the latest on the first trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and US as negotiators set plans for future meeting

Mitchell McCluskey and Kosta Gak, CNN

Mon, January 26, 2026 at 1:37 AM UTC

5 min read

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference at the presidential palace in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Sunday, January 25. - Mindaugas Kulbis/AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday highlighted progress made by Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, even as the path to achieving peace remains unclear.

“A lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive,” Zelensky wrote on social media, adding, “The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war.”

The trilateral talks held on Friday and Saturday were the first time that officials from all three countries sat down together since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. One US official said the meeting marked a significant step forward after months of quiet diplomacy, stressing that while a final deal is not guaranteed, progress would not have been possible without face-to-face talks.

The diplomatic effort came as Russia launched its largest overnight aerial attack on Ukraine so far this year.

Though the two-day session did not yield a breakthrough, the parties signaled hope for a future deal.

“Provided there is readiness to move forward – and Ukraine is ready – further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week,” Zelensky said.

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff similarly characterized the talks as “very constructive” and noted that “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.

The next round of talks will begin in Abu Dhabi on February 1, US officials said.

Representatives from the US, Russia, and Ukraine meet for trilateral talks at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, January 24, 2026. - UAE Government/Handout/Reuters

On Sunday, Zelensky said that a document outlining security guarantees sought by Ukraine — a key issue for the country’s Ukraine’s postwar stability — is “100% ready.”

Kyiv is now hoping to set a time and place to sign the deal, he said.

“For us, security guarantees are primarily bilateral security guarantees with the US. The document is 100% ready. We expect our partners to be ready with the date and place when we will sign it,” Zelensky said at a news conference in Lithuania.

He added that the document will then need to be ratified by the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament.

The US has led bilateral negotiations with Ukraine and Russia for months, working to resolve the outstanding issues as the fighting rages on.

In Abu Dhabi, the negotiators discussed a revised 20-point plan that addresses issues of territory, economy, security, and other areas.

Despite the progress touted by the US and Ukrainian sides, the divisive issue of territory continued to be a point of contention, with no clear resolution met.

Control of the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas, made up of the coal-rich regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, has been a core demand of Russia.

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine leaving the Donbas remains a key condition for Moscow.

“Russia’s position is well known: The Ukrainian armed forces must leave Donbas, must withdraw from there; this is a very important condition,” Peskov said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov reiterated this after the talks, telling state news agency TASS that Moscow wants to develop a plan that “fully corresponds to the fundamental understandings” reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump during their summit in Alaska last year.

That agreement provided that Ukraine would cede the remainder of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for a ceasefire.

Ukraine has consistently rejected the notion of making territorial concessions for a peace deal.

Cars drive along a road during a power outage in Kyiv on January 20, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. - Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images

In between the rounds of talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia maintained its strikes on Ukraine, unleashing a barrage of missile and drone attacks targeting the capital city of Kyiv and Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.

In Kyiv, at least one person died and four others were wounded, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said.

Falling debris caused fires and damaged buildings, Klitschko said, with nearly 6,000 apartment blocks in Kyiv losing heat in the middle of a bitterly cold winter.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha accused Putin of “cynically” ordering the “barbaric attack” as the diplomatic process was unfolding in Abu Dhabi.

“Every such Russian strike on our energy infrastructure proves that there must be no delays in supplying air defenses. No blind eye can be turned to these strikes; they must be met with a strong response,” Zelensky said on Facebook.

On Sunday, Zelensky said that Russia had used the peace process “to do everything possible” to gain full control of eastern Ukraine, something he said “they have not yet been able to do” on the battlefield.

He stressed that Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be respected.

“We are fighting for our country – for what is ours. We are not fighting on foreign territory. What questions could there be for us?” the Ukrainian president said.

The US has pushed for Ukraine to make territorial concessions, which Trump has positioned as a necessary trade-off to reach a peace deal with Russia.

Zelensky acknowledged that finding common ground between two “fundamentally different positions” would require a compromise.

“These are the first steps towards finding that very compromise,” he added. “But for a compromise, all sides must be ready to compromise. Incidentally, this includes the American side as well.”

CNN’s Christian Edwards, Ivana Kottasová, and Kit Maher contributed to this report.

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