Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators hold talks with the United Arab Emirates later, in what officials say will be the first meeting attended by all three countries since Moscow launched its all-out invasion nearly four years ago.
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian officials will attend talks following a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US ambassadors in Moscow.
Russia described the talks as “useful on all sides”, but said a long-term peace deal could not be reached until territorial issues were resolved.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he considered the talks in Abu Dhabi “a step – hopefully to end the war”.
Attending Thursday night’s meeting with Putin and two other Russian aides were three US representatives, including Steve Witkoff, and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the talks were “substantive, constructive and very frank”, but reiterated that any agreement for lasting peace would be impossible without resolving territorial issues.
“Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the goals of special military operations,” he said.
Ushakov added that Putin stressed Russia was “sincerely interested” in a diplomatic solution.
“If the territorial issue is not resolved according to the formula agreed in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement,” he said, referring to the summit between Trump and Putin in Alaska last year.
Witkoff last year said that Russia agreed to allow the US and Europe to give Ukraine “strong” security guarantees as part of a potential peace agreement.
After meeting with Trump in Davos, Zelensky also clarified that the future status of the territory of eastern Ukraine remains an unresolved issue before the talks in Abu Dhabi.
“This is all about land. This is the issue that has not been resolved,” Zelensky told reporters in Davos, adding that “the Russians should be ready for compromises, not only in Ukraine”.
On Friday, he told reporters: “The Donbas issue is important.
He added that he considered the talks in Abu Dhabi “a step – hopefully the war will end – but different things will happen”.
The territory sticking points included Russia’s demand to give Ukraine 25% of the Donetsk region still controlled by Kyiv.
The head of Ukraine The national security and defense council, Rustem Umerov, spoke to US officials in Davos, along with Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Zelensky’s office, and negotiator David Arakhamia. They will be accompanied to the UAE by the chief of the general staff, Andrii Hnatov.
On the Russian side, the Abu Dhabi delegation will be led by General Igor Kostyukov, director of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, while investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet with Witkoff separately to discuss economic issues.
Zelensky said last month that a 20-point US plan to end the war was 90% ready and that Ukraine’s position on the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, was different from Russia’s.
He has offered to withdraw troops up to 40km (25 miles) from the region to create an economic zone in the Donbas, if Russia does the same.
The US proposal for Ukraine’s industrial center in the Donbas is for a demilitarized and free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv.
Zelensky also told reporters in Davos that he had reached an agreement with Trump on future US security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a deal.
He did not give details but said it would have to go to the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament before signing.
Throughout the night, Ukraine and Russia reported drone attacks.
In messages posted on Telegram, Penza Oblast governor Oleg Melnichenko said the drone attack caused a fire at an oil depot in Penza, an area south east of Moscow.
In Ukraine, the general staff of the armed forces reported an air attack that saw drones hit 12 locations overnight.
Recent Russian strikes on key infrastructure targets have left many people in Ukraine to face freezing temperatures without heating or power.