The United States, Ukraine, and Russia launched their first trilateral peace talks on January 23, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, marking a potential turning point after nearly four years of war. These two-day discussions, centered on security guarantees and economic recovery, follow a marathon four-hour late-night meeting in Moscow between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov called "substantive, constructive, and very frank."

High-level delegations arrived underscoring the gravity of the moment. Ukraine dispatched National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, lead negotiator David Arakhamia, and Chief of General Staff Andrii Hnatov. Russia sent GRU director Admiral Igor Kostyukov to head security talks, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev pursued parallel economic dialogues with Witkoff. Witkoff voiced measured optimism at a Davos event, stating, "We've narrowed it down to one issue, and we've discussed iterations of that issue—it's solvable.

Territory emerged as the central impasse, with Russia demanding Ukraine cede the roughly 20% of Donetsk it still holds, per the "Anchorage formula" from last year's Trump-Putin Alaska summit. Ushakov emphasized no lasting peace without this resolution, linking it to Ukrainian NATO renunciation and demilitarization. Zelensky, fresh from Davos talks with President Trump, acknowledged security pacts were "largely agreed" but stressed, "It's fundamentally about the land—this issue remains unsolved.

The talks unfold against intensified battlefield ferocity during Ukraine's harshest war winter. Russian strikes crippled energy grids on January 22, dubbed by Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal as the "most difficult day" since 2022 blackouts, leaving masses without power in freezing conditions. Ushakov affirmed Russia would press its "special military operation" objectives until territorial demands are met. Zelensky lambasted European allies in Davos for empty promises, imploring, "A year has passed and nothing has changed—build real military capacity to deter aggressors.

As of January 23 afternoon, no breakthroughs surfaced, though Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hinted at possible extension into January 24. Progress on non-territorial tracks like reconstruction and security assurances offered glimmers of hope, building on prior US-Ukraine 20-point proposals. Zelensky posted on social media that his team would "assess how this unfolds and determine next actions," signaling cautious engagement. The UAE venue, neutral and economically influential, facilitated this rare direct encounter, absent since Russia's 2022 invasion.