United Arab Emirates Ukrainians and Russians continue talks on the end of the war
Direct negotiations between the warring parties on an end to the Russian campaign against Ukraine have resumed after a month-long break. Following the start of talks the previous evening in Abu Dhabi, high-ranking military representatives from both sides will meet today under the mediation of the USA. The aim of the diplomatic talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates is a dignified and lasting peace, announced the Ukrainian chief negotiator Rustem Umjerow after the first round. Shortly afterwards, the Russian attackers again fired heavily on major Ukrainian cities during the night.
24.01.2026, 06:00
SDA
According to Ukrainian sources, Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov and the Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence, Lieutenant General Vadym Skibitsky, will also join the talks on the Arabian Peninsula today. The Russian negotiating delegation will be led by the head of military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov. On the US side, the Secretary of State for the Army, Daniel Driscoll, is also taking part.
"We are prepared to work in different formats depending on how the dialog progresses," said Umjerow. The prospects for success of the talks are unclear. Concrete results have not yet emerged. Russian state media reported that the negotiations were completely sealed off from the public.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi had stated that such trilateral meetings had not taken place for a long time. However, it was still too early to draw any conclusions about the meeting in Abu Dhabi, he said in his evening video message. Above all, Russia must now end the war that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin started in February 2022, he demanded.
Russian airstrikes on Kiev and Kharkiv
Despite his words, there was another wave of airstrikes on Ukrainian cities during the night. According to representatives of the authorities, drones and missiles struck several districts in the capital Kiev, as reported by the news portal "The Kyiv Independent" - one person was reported killed and four injured. Heavy air strikes were also reported from the large city of Kharkiv near the border with Russia. According to the news agency RBK Ukraine, at least 14 people are said to have been injured there. Several hospitals and residential buildings were damaged and some victims were trapped under building rubble.
Territorial issue remains main problem in negotiations
At the peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which are being held without the heads of state and foreign ministers of the countries involved, the main issue is whether Zelensky's government will agree to the Russian conditions for a ceasefire and withdraw Ukrainian troops from the part of the eastern industrial region of Donbass that they have controlled to date. The Ukrainian side has so far rejected this. According to polls, there is also no majority support for this among the population.
However, before the talks began, the Kremlin once again cited this as a basic prerequisite for a ceasefire. In addition, Russia, which sees itself as having the advantage on the battlefield, is threatening to continue the war if the opposing troops do not withdraw.
Among other things, Moscow is laying claim to the entire Donetsk region, of which it currently only controls just under 80 percent. Kiev rejects a voluntary withdrawal. Donetsk and the neighboring Luhansk region, which Russian troops control almost completely, are referred to together as Donbass.
In recent months, there have been repeated discussions about possible compromises whereby Russia could, for example, give up the conquered parts of the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk in return for the entire Donbass. The invaders have not yet annexed these territories.
Ukraine wants security guarantees and reconstruction
For Ukraine, the negotiations are particularly concerned with security guarantees, which should regulate how the country can be protected from future Russian attacks after a possible peace agreement. Zelensky sees the USA as having a particular role to play here. He also discussed the guarantees with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, who wants to see an end to the war as soon as possible.
In addition to Umyerov, the Ukrainian delegation also includes Presidential Chancellery Chief Kyrylo Budanov, the parliamentary group leader of the presidential party, David Arachamiya, and Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya. The Ukrainians also want commitments for the economic reconstruction of the country, which has hardly any reserves left, particularly due to the daily Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Russia wants an end to sanctions and trade with the USA
On the US side, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are leading the talks. According to the Kremlin, Putin's envoy Kirill Dmitriev also wants to continue negotiations with Witkoff in order to intensify trade relations between Russia and the USA, which have been paralyzed by sanctions, following a possible peace agreement.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, which cited negotiating circles, the talks in Abu Dhabi will also focus on buffer zones in the event of an end to hostilities and how compliance with a ceasefire can be monitored. The Kremlin had described security issues as the most important topic of the talks.
Trump's administration has been urging Russia and Ukraine to end the war for months - so far without any discernible success.
