Ukraine–Russia Talks in Abu Dhabi Focus on Territorial Dispute, War Enters Fourth Year

Photo File (AI)

Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia began two days of talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday, with the sensitive issue of territory dominating the agenda as the war between the two countries enters its fourth year. Both sides have indicated there is little sign of compromise on core demands.

Ukraine is facing growing pressure from the United States to reach a peace agreement following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Moscow has made clear it will not halt fighting unless Kyiv cedes full control of the eastern Donbas region, a key industrial area.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the territorial dispute would be the central focus of the talks in the United Arab Emirates. Speaking in a WhatsApp media chat after meeting US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Zelenskiy said discussions on Donbas would take place over two days with Ukrainian, Russian, and US representatives involved.

The talks were scheduled to begin on Friday evening and continue on Saturday morning, according to a senior aide to Zelenskiy. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Ukraine surrender the remaining 20 percent of the Donetsk region still under Kyiv’s control, an area of roughly 5,000 square kilometers, a condition Ukraine has repeatedly rejected.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Ukraine yielding Donbas as a “very important condition” for Moscow. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Russia supports an “Anchorage formula,” allegedly agreed by Trump and Putin last August, under which Russia would control all of Donbas while current front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine would be frozen.

Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia claimed to have annexed in 2022 following referendums dismissed by Kyiv and Western nations as illegitimate. While most of the international community recognizes Donetsk as Ukrainian territory, Putin has repeatedly referred to it as historically Russian land.

Zelenskiy also said a draft agreement on US security guarantees for Ukraine is ready and awaiting final arrangements with President Trump. Ukraine has insisted on strong guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression, while dismissing Moscow’s proposal to use frozen Russian assets in the US for rebuilding occupied territories, calling the idea “nonsense.”