Kremlin confirms second round of talks with US and Ukraine

The second trilateral meeting will take place in Abu Dhabi later this week, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

The next meeting between Russian, US and Ukrainian negotiators will take place on February 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday, marking a second round of trilateral contacts aimed at exploring a possible settlement to the conflict.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Peskov said the date is still a “rough estimate,” but added that preparations are underway for the meeting, which is expected to be held in Abu Dhabi. The first round of talks between the three sides took place there last week and lasted two days.

Peskov described the start of direct contacts between Moscow, Washington and Kiev as a “positive” development, saying experts were discussing “a whole range of complex issues related to the settlement.” He did not provide details on the agenda.

All sides have acknowledged that territorial disputes remain the central obstacle to any peace agreement. Moscow says a lasting deal would require Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk, which voted to join Russia in 2022. The Kremlin has also demanded that Kiev formally recognize the new borders, including Crimea. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly ruled out territorial concessions.

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Yury Ushakov, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin who attended the previous talks, said before last week’s meeting that Russia currently holds the battlefield initiative and would pursue its objectives militarily if a diplomatic solution cannot be reached.

The renewed contacts come amid continued fighting and diplomatic efforts to test whether a negotiated framework is possible, though officials on all sides have cautioned that significant differences remain.