UAE To Host First Trilateral Talks On Ukraine War With US, Russia & Kyiv: Zelenskyy

International

oi-Prakash KL

Updated: Friday, January 23, 2026, 7:33 [IST]

Ukrainian
President
Volodymyr
Zelenskyy
announced
Thursday
that
Ukraine,
Russia,
and
the
United
States
are
preparing
for
a
rare
trilateral
dialogue
in
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
a
move
that
could
mark
a
significant
step
in
efforts
to
end
the
grinding
war
that
has
stretched
close
to
four
years.

Speaking
at
the
World
Economic
Forum
in
Davos,
Switzerland,
Zelenskyy
described
the
upcoming
talks
as
the
“first
trilateral
meeting
in
Emirates,” scheduled
to
take
place
over
the
next
two
days.

Zelenskyy
stated
that
compromise
must
come
from
both
sides
of
the
conflict.
“Russia
has
to
be
ready
for
compromises
–
not
just
Ukraine,”
he
said,
acknowledging
the
difficult
circumstances
facing
both
Kyiv
and
Moscow.

The
announcement
came
shortly
after
Zelenskyy
met
with
U.S.
President
Donald
Trump
on
the
sidelines
of
the
Davos
forum.
The
two
leaders
had
last
conferred
in
December
at
Trump’s
Mar-a-Lago
resort
in
Florida.
Both
men
characterized
their
latest
meeting
as
constructive,
though
they
admitted
the
road
ahead
remains
challenging.
“It
was
good,”
Zelenskyy
said,
adding,
“This
is
the
last
mile,
which
is
difficult.
During
any
dialogue
with
any
president,
I
have
to
defend
the
interests
of
my
country.
That’s
why
the
dialogue
is
not
simple,
but
today
it
was
positive.”

Trump
echoed
that
sentiment,
telling
reporters
that
his
conversation
with
Zelenskyy
was
“very
good,”
while
cautioning
that
the
process
is
still
unfolding.
He
framed
the
upcoming
trilateral
talks
as
a
necessary
step,
remarking,
“Anytime
we
meet,
it’s
good.
If
we
don’t
meet,
nothing’s
going
to
happen.
In
the
first
three
years,
nobody
met.
So
we
are
meeting,
and
we’ll
see
what
happens.
I
hope
we
can
save
a
lot
of
lives,
that’s
all.”

The
US
President
suggested
that
Europe
has
the
most
at
stake
in
the
negotiations,
portraying
his
involvement
as
an
effort
to
stabilize
the
continent.
“Everybody’s
making
concessions
to
get
it
done.
Europe
is
going
to
be
a
part
of
it.
It’s
more
for
Europe
than
for
me.
I’m
doing
it
to
save
lives.
It
doesn’t
affect
us
very
much,”
Trump
said.
He
also
speculated
about
Russian
President
Vladimir
Putin’s
intentions,
noting,
“I
thought
Putin
wanted
the
whole
thing.
Maybe
he
does,
but
he’s
not
going
to
be
going
there
unless
we
don’t
make
a
deal.”

Trump
further
reflected
on
the
human
cost
of
the
war,
citing
staggering
casualty
figures.
“It
would
be
nice
to
end
the
war…
it’s
about
25,000
to
30,000
soldiers
a
month
being
killed,”
he
said,
contrasting
the
drawn-out
conflict
with
other
wars
he
claimed
had
been
resolved
more
quickly.

He
also
touched
on
broader
geopolitical
issues,
mentioning
Gaza
and
the
role
of
the
United
Nations.
“The
United
Nations
has
great
potential,
but
they
have
not
lived
up
to
it.
I
think
working
with
the
Board
of
Peace
is
going
to
be
a
good
thing,”
he
remarked.