The Office of the President of Ukraine has reported that, at this moment, there is no official start time for the trilateral talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates — Abu Dhabi. Some delegations have already arrived, so certain issues have begun to be discussed informally.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Negotiations Without Clear Frameworks and Official Start
According to the advisor to the President of Ukraine, Dmytro Lytvyn, the meeting is taking place in an informal format, and therefore does not have traditional political procedures or time and format restrictions. This allows participants to promptly address a number of issues even before the official opening of the negotiations.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the holding of this trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and the Russian Federation the day before at a forum in Davos. According to preliminary information, the negotiations were set to begin on the evening of January 23. However, some international media, including the British channel Sky News, have already reported the actual start of discussions in Abu Dhabi.
Donbas — Key Topic of Discussions
Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the issue of Donbas will be central to the agenda of the trilateral meeting. In turn, the assistant to the President of Russia, Yuri Ushakov, stated that during the negotiations between representatives of the USA and Vladimir Putin on January 22, it was emphasized —
“without resolving the territorial issue regarding the agreed formula in Anchorage, one should not expect to achieve a long-term settlement.”
The Kremlin has refused to explain in detail the content of the so-called “Anchorage formula,” but has reiterated Moscow’s insistence on the complete withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the territory of Donbas.
Previously, President Zelensky had emphasized that all decisions regarding territories must be made exclusively by the Ukrainian people — either through elections or in the format of a referendum. In response, Yuri Ushakov underscored Russia’s position, stating that “the entire Donbas is Russian.”
Currently, part of Donbas remains under the control of Ukrainian military forces, where intense combat operations are ongoing.