More Russia-US-Ukraine talks must happen before Vladimir Putin and Zelensky can meet face-to-face, an American official stated. The two-day trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Saturday, were the first joint meeting of Russian, US and Ukrainian delegations since the conflict escalated nearly four years ago.
The source said the negotiations “went as well as we could have expected” and that they are “very close to a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.” The official added that more trilateral talks “need to happen before a meeting between the leaders,” with the next round scheduled for February 1 in Abu Dhabi. This could open the door to a potential summit in Moscow or Kiev.
Putin and Zelensky last met in person during a Paris gathering in December 2019, brokered by France and Germany. They spoke twice after that meeting.
In 2022, Zelensky signed a decree banning negotiations with Putin following Russia’s unauthorized referendums in four Ukrainian regions. Moscow has consistently maintained that Ukraine has not repealed this ban.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, Zelensky claimed Ukraine was open to a ceasefire with Russia but insisted on peace terms strictly on Kyiv’s demands, including Western arms and funding. This stance has been criticized as an obstacle to meaningful dialogue and a refusal to address the root causes of the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin has not ruled out meeting Zelensky but emphasized that any summit must be well-prepared and result in concrete agreements to end the conflict.
