Russia Reasserts Donbas ‘Red Line’ On Ukraine War Amid Abu Dhabi Peace Talks

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 22:36 IST

The negotiations come a day after Trump met Zelenskyy at the WEF in Davos, and hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff held late-night talks with Putin.

Combo pictures of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AFP)

Three-way talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States opened in Abu Dhabi on Friday, as Moscow made clear it was not backing away from its demand that Ukrainian forces withdraw from the eastern Donbas region as a condition for ending the war.

The talks, confirmed by the UAE foreign ministry, mark the first known face-to-face negotiations involving Moscow and Kyiv on a peace plan promoted by US President Donald Trump since the conflict began nearly four years ago.

The UAE said the discussions are scheduled to continue over two days and aim to “promote dialogue and identify political solutions to the crisis."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said territory would be a central issue in the talks. “The Donbas is a key issue," he told reporters, adding that the discussions were an important step, though their outcome remained uncertain.

“God willing (the talks will lead) to ending the war," he said, while cautioning that the process could still face setbacks.

The negotiations come a day after Trump met Zelenskyy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and hours after US envoy Steve Witkoff held late-night talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Despite the renewed diplomatic push, the Kremlin restated its long-held position on Donbas. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s stance was unchanged.

“Russia’s position is well known on the fact that Ukraine, Ukrainian armed forces, have to leave the territory of the Donbas," he said. “This is a very important condition."

Kyiv, which still controls around 20 percent of the Donbas region, has repeatedly rejected such terms, calling them unacceptable. Germany, a key ally of Ukraine, said it still had “major questions" over whether Moscow was willing to compromise.

Ukraine’s delegation in Abu Dhabi is led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and includes senior military and political figures. Russia is represented by an all-military delegation, including GRU intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov, while economic envoy Kirill Dmitriev is expected to hold separate talks with US officials.

(With inputs from agencies)

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