MOSCOW
Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators will hold their first trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates later Friday, which will focus on security issues, said Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.
Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow following around four hours of Russia-US talks, Ushakov said the decision was reached during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the American delegation, which included special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum.
Representing Russia were presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ushakov.
"It was agreed that today, on Friday, January 23rd, 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.
Ushakov said the Russian delegation for the talks in the UAE has already been formed, received presidential instructions, and will depart for the Arab country shortly.
Igor Kostyukov, head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces, will lead the Russian side at the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
Additionally, a separate bilateral meeting on economic issues between Dmitriev and Witkoff is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi.
Ushakov praised the US role in organizing the meeting, noting that Washington "has done a lot" to prepare and is counting on its success. He said US representatives are already drafting plans that could be implemented after a settlement of the Ukrainian conflict.
"It must be acknowledged that the Americans did a lot to prepare for this meeting, and they hope that it will be successful and open up opportunities for advancing across the entire range of issues related to ending the conflict and reaching an agreement on a peaceful settlement," he said.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the meeting in the UAE, saying it will last two days, on Jan. 23 and 24. He did not provide 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, lawmaker David Arahammia, and Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov.
Ushakov said the Kremlin talks focused on hearing about the outcomes of recent US contacts with Ukrainian and European officials.
"The meeting between the Russian president and American representatives was specifically focused on obtaining information about the outcome of the Americans' contacts with Ukrainians and European partners and jointly determining the parameters of further actions," he said.
The American delegation shared their assessment of US President Donald Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy in Davos, Switzerland directly with Putin.
"The interlocutors, as you know, arrived from Davos, where they participated in a series of events with their president, Donald Trump, literally before their departure to Moscow, including those related to the Ukrainian settlement," Ushakov said.
Ushakov added that the Russian side made it clear that without resolving territorial issues, “it is impossible to count on a long-term settlement in Ukraine.”
Both sides agreed to maintain close contacts on the Ukrainian issue and other matters going forward. The meeting at the Kremlin also discussed Trump's initiative to create a "Board of Peace" and the situation surrounding Greenland.
In the exchange of views on the Board of Peace, Russia reiterated its readiness to allocate $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the previous US administration to the budget of this structure, Ushakov said.
"The remaining funds from our assets frozen in the US could be directed to the reconstruction of territories affected by hostilities after the conclusion of peace between Russia and Ukraine. The conversation on this topic will continue in the bilateral economic group," he said.
Last week, the White House announced the formation of the Board of Peace, along with the approval of a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza – one of four bodies designated to manage the transitional phase in the enclave.
According to statements from world leaders invited to join the board, membership is free for the first three years, after which permanent membership costs $1 billion.
Several countries, including Belarus, have already accepted Trump's invitation to join the board.
Putin said Wednesday that he instructed the Foreign Ministry to study the proposal.
