Kremlin says trilateral talks on ending war in Ukraine will resume next week

Talks among Russian, Ukrainian and American officials to end the war in Ukraine are set to resume next week, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday, after a round of negotiations that President Volodymyr Zelensky described as constructive. Two days of face-to-face talks in Abu Dhabi — the first direct meetings between Ukraine and Russia since June — wrapped up on Saturday.

Mr. Zelensky said more meetings would be held “provided there is readiness to move forward.” Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said further talks were scheduled for next week but did not specify a date; a U.S. official, speaking anonymously, said the talks were set for Sunday.

Officials from both sides left the Abu Dhabi meetings in a somewhat optimistic mood, according to Ukrainian statements and Russian state media. A major sticking point is control of territory in eastern Ukraine: Mr. Peskov said Moscow would accept nothing less than terms Russia says were reached by President Trump and President Vladimir V.

Putin in Alaska, and Russia says the American president agreed to a deal in which Ukraine would surrender parts of the Donbas. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said before the talks that one major issue remained; Mr. Zelensky said in Davos that “it’s all about the eastern part of our country.” The Institute for the Study of War said the Kremlin may be using the new trilateral talks to stall for time and noted Moscow hoped to avoid additional sanctions that Mr.

Key Topics

World, Russia-ukraine Talks, Volodymyr Zelensky, Dmitri Peskov, Abu Dhabi, Donbas