First Russia-US-Ukraine Trilateral Meeting in Abu Dhabi This Afternoon Focuses on Security Issues

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. (Sergey Bobylev/TASS)

JAKARTA - Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators would focus on security issues in the first trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday afternoon local time.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow after about four hours of Russian-US talks, Ushakov said the decision was reached during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US delegation, which included Special Representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum.

On the Russian side, the delegation at this meeting included Uusan President Kirill Dmitriev as well as Yuri Ushakov himself.

"It was agreed that today, Friday, January 23, the first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues will take place in Abu Dhabi. The trilateral working group consists of representatives from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine," Ushakov said, launching Anadolu (23/1).

Ushakov said that the Russian delegation for the talks in the UAE had been formed, received instructions from the president, and would soon depart for the Arab country.

The head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Admiral Igor Kostyukov, will lead the Russians at the meeting in Abu Dhabi.

In addition, a separate bilateral meeting on economic issues between Dmitriev and Witkoff is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi.

Ushakov praised the US for organizing the meeting, noting that Washington "has done a lot" to prepare for and expects it to be successful. He said US representatives had drawn up a plan that could be implemented after the completion of the Ukrainian conflict.

"It must be admitted that America has done a lot to prepare for this meeting, and they hope that this meeting will be successful and open up opportunities for progress on a whole range of issues related to ending the conflict and reaching an agreement on a peaceful settlement," he said.

Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday announced that the first trilateral meeting would be held on January 23-24.

He did not provide any other details except for the composition of the Ukrainian delegation, which will include the Head of the Presidential Administration Kyrylo Budanov and his first deputy Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, parliamentarian David Arahammia and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov.

Regarding the talks in the Kremlin, Ushakov said it focused on listening to the results of recent US contacts with Ukrainian and European officials.

"The meeting between the Russian president and American representatives specifically focused on obtaining information about the results of American contacts with Ukraine and European partners and jointly determining the parameters of further actions," he explained.

Meanwhile, the American delegation conveyed their assessment of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy in Davos, Switzerland, directly to Putin.

"The parties who are in dialogue, as you know, arrived from Davos, where they participated in a series of events with their president, Donald Trump, just before their departure to Moscow, including those related to the settlement of the Ukrainian problem," Ushakov said.

He added that the Russian side stressed that without resolving the territorial issue, "it is impossible to expect a long-term settlement in Ukraine."

Both sides agreed to maintain close contact on the issue of Ukraine and other matters in the future.