President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to his American counterpart Donald Trump's statement regarding a week-long agreement with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin to halt Russian troops' strikes on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine during the cold weather. The head of state noted that during the trilateral meetings in Abu Dhabi, the negotiating teams discussed this possibility.
He wrote about this on the social network X.
Zelensky stressed that “energy is the basis of life,” and the Ukrainian authorities appreciate the efforts of partners to help Ukrainians protect it.
“Thank you, President Trump! The teams talked about this in the Emirates. We expect that the agreements will be implemented. De-escalation steps contribute to real movement towards ending the war,” the head of state added.
Later, during his address, Zelensky noted that “the real situation now at night and these days” at Ukrainian energy facilities and in cities will show whether Moscow will keep its promises to Washington to stop the strikes.
On January 28, the president said that Ukrainian intelligence had reported that Russia was preparing for a new attack on Ukraine.
On January 29, Trump said he had personally asked Putin to halt the massive strikes on the Ukrainian capital and other cities for a week. He also added that the Ukrainians initially did not believe this information, but were happy to hear it.
What is known about the negotiations between Ukraine, the USA and the Russian Federation in the UAE?
The first day of the trilateral meeting took place on January 23. According to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, the discussions focused on the parameters of ending the war and the logic of the further negotiation process “with the aim of moving towards a dignified and lasting peace.” Umerov also noted that the delegation representatives reported on the results of each stage of the negotiations to President Zelensky.
A senior White House official told the Public that “the trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia was productive.
Zelenskyy previously reported that the Ukrainian delegation expects answers from Russia during the trilateral talks in the UAE regarding the end of the war. In particular, he noted that the issue of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions will remain key in the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24.
The Ukrainian side at the negotiations was represented by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov, Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov, his First Deputy Serhiy Kyslytsia, Head of the “Servant of the People” parliamentary faction Davyd Arakhamia, Advisor to the Cabinet of the President of Ukraine OP Oleksandr Bevz, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Andriy Hnatov, Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Oleh Ivashchenko, First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Yevheniy Ostryanskyi, First Deputy Head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad, and Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate Vadym Skibitskyi.
The meeting was attended by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Josh Gruenbaum, General Daniel Driscoll, and General Alex Hrinkevich from the American side. Representatives of military intelligence and the army are participating from the Russian side, Rustem Umerov added.
This meeting in Abu Dhabi was preceded by a visit to Moscow on January 22 by US representatives Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and Josh Gruenbaum. There, they spent three and a half hours talking with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his team, including Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev.