Zelenskyy on talks with Russia: Dialogue must be sought, but no one is going to back down

The President of Ukraine noted that Russia’s negotiators will arrive in Abu Dhabi with feedback from the Russian President, which all sides will discuss.

Zelenskyy added that he had agreed with the Ukrainian delegation to discuss what the Russians bring to the table and what compromises they are prepared to make.

"There should not only be signals regarding Ukraine. Well, I think our group knows — and from me as well — that dialogue must be sought, but no one is going to back down," the country’s leader said.

He also noted that Ukraine will support proposals from the United States regarding de-escalation steps.

Talks in Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian officials have traveled to Abu Dhabi for a meeting with Russian and US delegations scheduled for February 4–5.

Previous trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia took place in the UAE on January 23–24. According to RBC-Ukraine, the greatest progress at that time was made in the military block, while the territorial issue remained unresolved.

A next round of talks was also announced for February 1. Later, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the meeting had been postponed and would take place the following week, specifically on February 4–5 in Abu Dhabi.

In addition, in one of his interviews, Zelenskyy said that it is impossible to resolve the territorial issue without a meeting with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Later, on February 2, the Russian leader's press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin is possible only in Moscow.

The Kremlin spokesperson also said that peace talks are a "very complex, multidirectional process," but added that there has been some convergence on certain issues.

It also became known that US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff will be present at the Ukraine–Russia talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi on February 4–5.