Ukrainian and Russian officials met for face to face talks this weekend for the first known time since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as the US intensified its efforts to end the war.
Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the US president’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, joined the talks in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after meeting the Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
It was unclear what progress had been made when negotiations concluded. The second day of talks was marred by waves of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s two largest cities.
“His [Putin’s] missiles hit not only our people, but also the negotiation table,” said Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s minister for foreign affairs. “Peace efforts? Trilateral meeting in the UAE? Diplomacy? For Ukrainians, this was another night of Russian terror.”
US-led peace talks have occurred in bursts since Trump returned to office a year ago, having vowed during his election campaign to end the war in 24 hours.
Ukraine and the US agreed on a 20-point roadmap last year but territory remains a sticking point. Russia is demanding control over the entire eastern Donbas region as a precondition for ending the war.
Russia’s state-owned Tass news agency said buffer zones and control mechanisms would be discussed during the talks. “A longterm settlement can’t be expected without solving the territorial issue,” said Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, who took part in the talks.
Ukraine refuses to give up territory that Russia – with all its advantages in size and resources – has failed to take on the battlefield. But Kyiv is under serious pressure as Russian attacks bring its energy infrastructure to breaking point, leaving swathes of the country without power in the depths of winter.
Related articles:
After meeting Trump in Davos, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was open to setting up a free trade zone in eastern Ukraine under Kyiv’s control as a way of reconciling the standoff over territory. “I think it will be positive for our business,” he told reporters.
Zelensky also said Trump had agreed on security guarantees for Ukraine, without disclosing details. Some European countries have vowed to send troops to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine again. Moscow rejects the deployment of forces from any Nato member state on Ukrainian territory.
Newsletters
Choose the newsletters you want to receive
View more
For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy
While sceptical that Russia wants peace, Ukraine has engaged in the talks to avoid antagonising Trump and ensure that Kyiv is not forced to accept a peace deal on Moscow’s terms.
“It is necessary that not only Ukraine has the desire to end this war and achieve full security, but that a similar desire somehow emerges in Russia as well,” Zelensky said.
Photograph by Oleksandr Magula/AFP via Getty Images