President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia are expected to take place in the United Arab Emirates, as diplomatic efforts to end the war intensify.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos after meeting US President Donald Trump, Zelensky said the central unresolved issue remains territorial control in eastern Ukraine. “It’s all about the land,” he said, adding that any agreement would require compromises from Russia as well as Ukraine.
Trump described his meeting with Zelensky as positive, while his envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Witkoff said he was optimistic about reaching a deal, claiming negotiations had narrowed to a single outstanding issue. Although he did not specify what it was, Zelensky later confirmed it concerned the future status of eastern Ukraine.
Witkoff said he would travel next to Abu Dhabi, where working groups would focus on both military arrangements and economic aspects of a potential settlement. He suggested that if both sides were willing to resolve the remaining dispute, an agreement was achievable.
Under a US proposal, Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region would become a demilitarised free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv. Zelensky said Ukraine and the US had reached an understanding on future American security guarantees should a deal be struck, though he noted that any agreement would still require approval from both the US Congress and Ukraine’s parliament.
While European countries led by the UK and France have pledged to contribute forces to monitor any settlement, Zelensky stressed that US involvement would be essential. “No security guarantees work without the US,” he said.
In his Davos speech earlier, Zelensky criticised European allies for what he described as a lack of political resolve, arguing that internal divisions were preventing Europe from acting decisively against Russia. He contrasted this with the US under Trump, suggesting that Washington was more willing to engage directly and forcefully.
Zelensky’s appearance in Davos came after an overnight journey from Ukraine, where he had initially cancelled his trip to address the aftermath of Russian strikes on Kyiv’s power infrastructure. The attacks have left large parts of the capital without heating, water or electricity during one of the harshest winters since the full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago.
Last month, Zelensky said a 20-point US peace plan was close to completion, though Ukraine and Russia remained divided over Donbas. As part of the proposal, Ukraine has offered to withdraw its troops by up to 40km from the remaining 25% of the Donetsk region it controls, provided Russia does the same, to allow for the creation of an economic zone.
The Kremlin said discussions with US envoys would continue but declined to comment on the likelihood of an agreement. Russian forces have made gradual advances in eastern Ukraine over the past year, and President Vladimir Putin is believed to seek control of the entire region.
Zelensky has also highlighted future control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, seized by Russia in 2022, as another major unresolved issue.
Signalling the seriousness of the planned talks, Zelensky confirmed that senior Ukrainian officials would be involved, including Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, negotiator David Arakhamia and armed forces chief Andrii Hnatov.
