A U.S. official said U.S., Ukrainian, and Russian representatives agreed to meet for another round of talks next week.
President Donald Trump’s negotiators are seeing signs of progress on a deal to end the Russia–Ukraine war following two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, held trilateral talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday. While no parties announced an immediate breakthrough from the talks, a pair of U.S. officials familiar with the discussions described marked progress since November 2025, when U.S. and Ukrainian representatives met in Geneva, Switzerland.
“We felt that the meeting in Abu Dhabi was a critical step towards getting to the next phase,” one U.S. official said.
The Abu Dhabi talks mark the first known instance of Russian and Ukrainian representatives sitting for direct talks, mediated by the United States.
In an X post following Saturday’s meetings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the talks as constructive, and said the main focus was on finding “possible parameters for ending the war.”
“All sides agreed to report in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and coordinate further steps with leaders,” Zelenskyy added.
One U.S. official said both Moscow and Kyiv are “starting to envision what they can gain from peace.” The official noted Ukrainian interest in a “prosperity plan” for the war-torn country.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy, in a Jan. 3 statement, described a “prosperity plan” that aims to attract public and private investment from the United States, European Union, and the G7 to cover an estimated $800 billion in post-war reconstruction and economic recovery efforts in Ukraine.
The first U.S. official said the Russian side is interested in opportunities to pursue trade with the United States.
The second U.S. official said the parties have agreed to meet again in Abu Dhabi next week.
Both U.S. officials avoided offering specifics on how discussions were proceeding on the issue of territory.
Russian forces control significant portions of Ukraine’s pre-war territory, and have called for Ukraine to cede that land and other pockets of territory.
By Ryan Morgan and Emel Akan
