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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the UAE will host the first trilateral talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia, as Kyiv pushes for US-backed security guarantees and urges Moscow to be ready for compromises to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United Arab Emirates will host two days of trilateral meetings involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia starting Friday (January 23).
“It will be the first trilateral meeting in the Emirates. It will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” Zelensky said after addressing the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
Zelensky did not clarify whether Ukrainian and Russian officials would engage directly.
‘Russians have to be ready for compromises’
Zelensky stressed that any breakthrough would require concessions from Moscow.
“Russians have to be ready for compromises because, you know, everybody has to be ready, not only Ukraine,” he said. “And this is important for us.”
He added that documents being drafted with Washington to end the nearly four-year-old Russian invasion are close to completion.
“The documents aimed at ending this war are nearly, nearly ready,” Zelensky told the WEF. “We met with President Trump, and our teams are working almost every day. It’s not simple.”
Zelensky says dialogue with Trump positive
Zelensky acknowledged that negotiations with US President Donald Trump have been challenging but described their latest interaction as constructive.
“My dialogue with President Trump is not simple,” he said, adding that their meeting earlier in the day was “positive”.
“The meeting was good with President Zelensky. We’ll see how it turns out,” Trump told reporters. “This war has to end.”
Ukraine seeks US security guarantees
Zelensky reiterated that Ukraine needs firm security guarantees from the United States, beyond commitments from European allies, to prevent future Russian aggression.
“The UK and France are ready to actually commit their forces on the ground,” he said. “But the backstop of President Trump is needed. And again, no security guarantees work without the US.”
Air defence and energy attacks in focus
Zelensky said his discussions with Trump also covered air defence capabilities, though he did not provide details.
“We spoke about documents and about air defence,” he told reporters briefly.
He accused Russia of deliberately targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure to trigger blackouts during what he described as one of the country’s harshest winters in years.
“This is the face of Russia,” Zelensky said.
While Ukraine can now produce thousands of interceptor drones daily, he admitted it remains insufficient against the scale of Russian missile and drone attacks.
“It is not enough to defend against the number of drones and missiles Russia uses against Ukraine,” he said.
Zelensky takes aim at Europe’s security posture
In a sharp critique, Zelensky also questioned Europe’s readiness to ensure long-term security, likening the continent’s repeated debates to the film Groundhog Day.
“Just last year, here in Davos, I ended my speech with the words: Europe needs to know how to defend itself. A year has passed. And nothing has changed. We are still in a situation where I must say the same words again,” he said.
His comments underscored Kyiv’s concern that without decisive US involvement, European security guarantees alone may not be enough to deter Russia.
English (US) ·