Overview
- The two-day meeting in Abu Dhabi—the first trilateral since 2022—wrapped up with participants describing the discussions as productive.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the talks but said it is too soon to draw conclusions and indicated further negotiations could happen as early as next week.
- The central sticking point remains eastern Donbas, as the Kremlin reiterated demands for a Ukrainian withdrawal and signaled opposition to a ceasefire.
- Negotiators weighed curbing strikes on energy infrastructure, the Financial Times reported, including a possible trade-off limiting Ukrainian attacks in exchange for halting Russian power-grid strikes.
- Recent Russian assaults on Ukraine’s power system, including a January 20 attack that left about one million in Kyiv without electricity, underscore the humanitarian urgency.