A first round of talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Abu Dhabi has ended, Ukrainian officials said, with new discussions planned for Saturday.
"The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia's war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace," Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said on X on Friday evening.
"Additional meetings are scheduled for tomorrow."
Crucial Donbass region
US President Donald Trump has expressed hope a deal is close, though Moscow and Kiev remain at odds over the issue of territory.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the trilateral talks at a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also confirmed he would head to Abu Dhabi after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
He said at an event in Davos that "a lot of progress" had been made in Russia-Ukraine peace talks, and that negotiations were down to one last issue.
Zelenskyy told journalists that the issue of the Donbass region will be "key" during the trilateral talks.
"It will be discussed and the modalities will be discussed, as the three parties see it, in Abu Dhabi today and tomorrow."
Russian officials reaffirmed their position to reporters at a press briefing, arguing the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the region is a "very important condition" for a peace settlement.
