Zelensky wants Ukrainian and Russian negotiators to meet sooner. “Ukraine will be as prepared as possible”
Volodymyr Zelensky, Photo: American Photo Archive / Alamy / Alamy / Profimedia
Talks between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators would resume next Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, while also asking allies not to ease pressure on Moscow, writes Reuters.
In a video address on Monday night, Zelenskiy said the two sides had discussed steps to end the war and how that process should be monitored during weekend talks in Abu Dhabi.
The Kiev leader added that it would be good if these talks could be resumed even earlier than Sunday.
“Ukraine will be as prepared as possible in all aspects that need to be discussed and agreed upon,” Zelensky stressed.
Restoration of the energy sector after Russian strikes is ongoing round-the-clock. I thank all our friends—European countries from Norway to Italy, Poland and Germany, the Baltic states, and many others who are supporting Ukraine and our cities—and doing a lot for Kyiv right now. pic.twitter.com/yFkqssI0iZ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelenskyy (@ZelenskyyUa) January 26, 2026
On Friday and Saturday, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held their first trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with US mediators in attendance, to discuss Washington's proposed framework for ending the nearly four-year war, but the talks ended without an agreement.
However, both Moscow and Kiev have signaled they are open to continued dialogue, and further talks are expected next Sunday, also in Abu Dhabi, a US official told reporters immediately after the weekend's talks.
“Unexpected chemistry” between the Russians and the Ukrainians at the negotiations in Abu Dhabi. What follows and the scenario pushed by a source from the White House
Zelenskiy previously said the two days of trilateral meetings with Russia and the US in Abu Dhabi ended with “constructive” discussions on “possible parameters for ending the war”. He also added that the military representatives have identified the issues that will be discussed at a possible new meeting.
The Ukrainian press, in turn, wrote about more consistent progress on the military level, while admitting that no steps have been taken regarding the territories.
Ukraine insists that talks on the territories can only take place starting at least from the current front line, while the Russian side continues to demand the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops, including from unoccupied areas of the Donetsk region.
Russia does not give up the maximum conditions
On Monday, the Kremlin said the issue of territory remains central to Russia's efforts to reach an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.
The clarification suggests that Moscow has not given up on the maximum conditions imposed for ending the war, despite some encouraging signs emerging from the negotiations.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia will occupy the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine – of which Moscow's forces currently control 90 percent – if Kiev does not cede it as part of a peace deal.
After two days of “constructive” negotiations, the Kremlin bluntly announces what it wants from Ukraine: “It's no secret that this is our position”
“It is no secret that this is our consistent position, the position of our president, that the territorial issue, which is part of the Anchorage formula, is of fundamental importance for the Russian side,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, according to Reuters.
The “Anchorage Formula” refers to what Russia claims Putin agreed with US President Donald Trump at the Alaska summit last August, according to a source close to the Kremlin.
This alleged agreement, according to the same source, calls for Ukraine to cede control of the entire Donbas to Russia and to freeze front lines in other parts of eastern and southern Ukraine as a necessary condition for any future peace deal.
However, Kiev has repeatedly stated that it will not cede to Russia the territory that Moscow failed to conquer on the battlefield.
