Zelensky Confirms Trilateral Ukraine War Talks in UAE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that "trilateral" talks involving Ukrainian, U.S., and Russian officials will take place in the United Arab Emirates this week. The announcement was made on Thursday following his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at a previous World Economic Forum in Davos, the same venue where Zelensky announced the new trilateral talks.

A New Diplomatic Push Announced in Davos

Speaking to journalists, Zelensky confirmed the upcoming meeting but offered limited details on its exact format, including whether Ukrainian and Russian officials would negotiate directly.

"It will be the first trilateral meeting in the Emirates. It will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," he stated, adding a condition for progress: "Russians have to be ready for compromises."

Zelensky described the event as a "trilateral meeting at the level of negotiators," and said, "We'll see what the result will be." His office did not provide further clarification on the structure of the talks.

Ukraine's Delegation and the Path Forward

The Ukrainian team will be led by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council. The delegation will also include a military presence, represented by Lieutenant General Andriy Gnatov.

The United Arab Emirates has consistently played a mediating role between Moscow and Kyiv throughout the nearly four-year war, most notably in facilitating prisoner exchanges.

Despite several rounds of face-to-face meetings since Russia's full-scale invasion began, previous talks have failed to produce a breakthrough to end the conflict, which has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties.