Russian delegation (left, with Kushner), UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed (center) and the Ukrainian delegation (right, with Witkoff) – Screengrab Social Media/X
Yesterday, while the world looked to Davos in expectation over the US-EU dispute about Greenland, two major moves in the Russia-Ukraine peace process took place.
First, US President Donald J. Trump had a talk with Kiev regime leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and later that night, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
And while no sensational breakthroughs came out of these meetings, they were followed by a two-day peace conference in Abu Dhabi – and what’s more, for the first time, in a trilateral format, with delegations from the US, Russia, and Ukraine, plus the UAE hosts.
Ukraine–US–Russia talks in Abu Dhabi, UAE END — Sky News
‘PRODUCTIVE… conversations will continue tomorrow’
WAM footage shows all 3 delegations in same room with UAE President MBZ pic.twitter.com/z7oknLJMDp
— RT (@RT_com) January 23, 2026
Reuters reported:
“Russian President Vladimir Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the 20% it still holds of the Donetsk region of the Donbas – about 5,000 sq km (1,900 sq miles) – has proven a major stumbling block to a breakthrough deal.
Zelenskiy refuses to give up land that Russia has not been able to capture in four years of grinding, attritional warfare.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Russia’s insistence on Ukraine yielding all of Donbas was ‘a very important condition’.”
BREAKING: Peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi have started
Latest: https://t.co/brxUBLrWac
Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/u2TFCUnK7l
— Sky News (@SkyNews) January 23, 2026
Aide to President Putin Yury #Ushakov on Russia-US meeting:
We reaffirmed that a lasting settlement [in Ukraine] is unlikely without addressing the territorial issue based on the agreed formula in Anchorage.https://t.co/Gy59Z8uxKB pic.twitter.com/uZQMClAqM8
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) January 23, 2026
The Russian side is reportedly floating the so-called ‘Anchorage formula’ that gets Ukraine to withdraw from Donbas and freeze the current front lines in the rest of the frontline.
Tomorrow, another round of talks will conclude the conference.
Read more:
DIPLOMACY SURGES: Hectic Day in US Mediation of Russia-Ukraine Peace Process as Trump Meets Zelensky in Davos, While Witkoff and Kushner Meet Putin in Moscow
The post EYE TO EYE: US, Russian and Ukrainian Delegations Meet for First Trilateral Peace Talks in Abu Dhabi – Two-Day Negotiations Conclude on Saturday appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.