Ukraine-Russia war latest: Peace talks between Kyiv, Moscow and US begin in Abu Dhabi

Little is known about the specific issues to be discussed at the trilateral talks today. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the fraught issue of territorial concessions is a likely topic, while the Kremlin offered few details beyond calling the meeting a “working group on security issues”. Separate economic discussions will take place between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Kremlin officials said.

The sides have indicated that a possible peace deal hinges on the apparently still unresolved issue of territory. Speaking in a WhatsApp chat with journalists on Friday, Zelensky described the issue of who would control the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine as “key”.

Russia’s bigger army has managed to capture about 20 per cent of Ukraine since hostilities began in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of 2022. But the battlefield gains along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line have been costly for Moscow, and the Russian economy is feeling the consequences of the war and international sanctions.

In his briefing on Putin’s meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stressed that “reaching a long-term settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue,” a reference to Moscow’s demand that Kyiv withdraw its troops from areas in the east that Russia illegally annexed in 2022 but never fully captured.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said on Friday that Moscow had already made its position clear and that Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the Donbas region.

Ukraine has been pressing for security guarantees from the West to prevent Russia from invading its territory again.

Delegations from the US, Ukraine and Russia will hold their first trilateral talks since the 2022 Russian invasion today.

The security talks are taking place in Abu Dhabi.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia’s condition for peace is the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the entire Donbas region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the two-day talks involve officials at a ‘technical level’.

Zelensky emphasised that Russia must be prepared to make compromises, not just Ukraine.

Trilateral peace talks between Russia, US and Ukraine, the first such talks since the war began, have now begun.

This is according to UAE government in Abu Dhabi, where the talks are being hosted.

We’ll bring you all updates from the talks on this live blog.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says Vladimir Putin underlined that Russia was “sincerely interested” in a diplomatic solution during talks with US envoys on Thursday night.

But he stressed that there was no hope of achieving long-term settlement without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage.

He added: “Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation. This is especially true on the battlefield, where the Russian armed forces hold the strategic initiative.”

The Ukrainian military said on Friday that it had struck an oil depot in the western Russian region of Penza.

In a statement, Kyiv’s General Staff said a fire had erupted as a result of the attack and that it was still assessing the extent of damage.

France will hold a call with G7 countries and other European states to coordinate support for Ukraine’s energy grid on Friday, after Russian bombings left hundreds of thousands of people without power and heating, its foreign minister said.

Electrical engineers have been working around the clock in hazardous conditions for weeks after Russia escalated attacks on Ukraine’s grid during an extreme cold snap.

Volodymyr Zelensky has declared an energy emergency after sustained Russian strikes over winter knocked out power generation and distribution facilities.

“He continues to shell Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure. We will continue to support Ukraine,” French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot told BFMTV.

He said France would supply Ukraine with the equivalent of 13 extra megawatts of electricity and around 100 generators to replace destroyed infrastructure.

Other countries would also pledge assistance during the meeting later on Friday, he said.

For the first time ever, Russia, Ukraine and the US will get around the table together for a trilateral meeting to discuss peace on Friday.

The historic talks will take place in Abu Dhabi and come hours after a “frank” and “constructive” late-night discussion between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and President Vladimir Putin.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, freedom to advance its Nato ambitions and EU membership aspirations and to maintain a large military to deter the threat of future Russian aggression.

Earlier this morning, Volodymyr Zelensky updated the media ahead of the first US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral meeting on Friday. He also gave an update on his talks with Donald Trump on Thursday.

On Trump and security guarantees: The Ukrainian president said he is ready to sign a deal on security guarantees, and that he is waiting only for his US counterpart, a date and a place. He also discussed with Mr Trump the provision of additional Pac-3 and anti-ballistic missiles for air defence – and that he hopes for a positive response.

The pair also discussed the question of a “free economic zone” in Ukraine to stimulate economic growth post-war. Mr Zelensky said it is important for Kyiv to understand the source of the financing for any package on post-war recovery.

On today’s trilateral meeting: Mr Zelensky said that the critical question of territory will be discussed during the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainian delegation, he said, will include military intelligence representatives.

He said he was expecting to talk with the Ukrainian team at about 3pm/4pm about what is to be discussed. It is unclear whether he meant in Ukrainian time (1/2pm GMT) or Abu Dhabi time (11am/12pm GMT). We haven’t heard any update yet on the talks.

Mr Zelensky added that he will provide feedback to Kyiv’s European partners following the trilateral meeting.