Zelensky says more peace negotiations to take place soon, calls latest talks constructive

In an effort to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine, representatives from the three countries concluded a two-day round of peace talks in Abu Dhabi this weekend. 

Though no formal peace agreement emerged, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the discussions as constructive and signaled that more negotiations could take place as soon as next week. 

“All parties agreed to report to their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, according to the AP.

The meeting in the United Arab Emirates involved senior U.S. envoys, including special negotiator Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who acts as a senior advisor in the Trump administration’s continuing diplomatic push. 

It was one of the first instances where Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv sat down together in such a format since the conflict began in February 2022. 

Participants touched upon a host of issues, from military de-escalation to economic arrangements, but territorial control over contested regions remains a central sticking point.

In particular, the fate of eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and the management of the seized Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant were among the most controversial topics discussed, with no agreement reached.