by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
DAVOS/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are holding three-way talks in Abu Dhabi in what is the first time the three countries have sat down together since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald J. Trump raised fresh hopes that he could help bring the armed conflict to an end soon.
The talks were confirmed in the early hours of Friday following discussions at the Kremlin between Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Yet even as the negotiations were set to begin, the Kremlin repeated its demand that Kyiv must withdraw its forces from the eastern Donbas region for the war to end.
Ahead of the talks, President Trump suggested at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he could settle the war in Ukraine in the near future. “We’ve settled eight wars and I believe another one’s coming pretty soon,” Trump said. “The one that I thought was gonna be an easy one has turned out to be probably the most difficult.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Abu Dhabi talks would last two days.
WARNING TO EUROPE
But he also warned Europe that it must be better prepared to confront future conflicts.
“Europe relies only on the belief that if danger comes, NATO will act,” Zelenskyy told the forum. “But no one has really seen the alliance in action. If Putin decides to take Lithuania or strike Poland, who will respond?”
Despite deep hostility between the sides, the Trump administration has been pushing for a peace settlement, with U.S. representatives shuttling between Kyiv and Moscow in a flurry of diplomacy.
Some observers fear the negotiations could pressure Ukraine into an unfavorable deal.
Trump said earlier this week that Putin and Zelenskyy would be “stupid” if they failed to come together and reach an agreement. Zelenskyy acknowledged that the future status of land occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine remains unresolved, but said peace proposals were “nearly ready.”
The world is now watching closely for results from the latest talks aimed at ending Europe’s largest land war since the Second World War.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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