Ukraine-US-Russia talks in UAE uncertain due to Kremlin stance – Sky News

It is unclear whether a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi will go ahead, as Russia's agreement to the format has not been confirmed.

Source: Sky News

Details: The meeting, scheduled for Friday, could be unprecedented, bringing Russians, Ukrainians and Americans together at the same negotiating table for the first time.

At this stage, it is not clear "what will be discussed, or at what level".

Sky News reiterated that US envoy Steve Witkoff first mentioned the talks in Davos on Thursday morning. He said that he and Jared Kushner would travel directly from Moscow to the UAE for discussions with working groups on both sides, focusing on specific aspects of the peace plan, including "military to military" issues.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to the talks in a speech, saying they would take place at a "technical level". Kyiv later announced it would send its top team, including chief negotiator Rustem Umierov and Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Quote from Sky News: "The attendance of such senior figures could indicate that the meeting has taken greater significance than originally planned. Perhaps something changed over the course of the day, maybe in the meeting with Zelenskyy and Trump.

On the other hand, it could just be signalling from Kyiv – an attempt to show the White House how willing they are to reach a settlement, while also trying to show up Vladimir Putin."

Details: As of now, Moscow has not responded, leaving it unclear whether Russia will attend the trilateral meeting. Sky News noted that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin typically does not respond to demands from other parties.

Sky News added that a last-minute refusal would appear negative, so it is expected that "the Russians will show up in Abu Dhabi, but it might not be their top team".

Background:

• Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine will be represented at the trilateral talks in the UAE on 23-24 January by Rustem Umierov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council; Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President's Office; Serhii Kyslytsia, First Deputy Head of the President's Office; Davyd Arakhamiia, Head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction; and Andrii Hnatov, Chief of the General Staff.
• Talks between Putin and Witkoff began at the Kremlin on the evening of 22 January.

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