New round of talks between Ukraine, US, and Russia to take place today in Abu Dhabi

A new round of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia is scheduled to take place today, February 4, in Abu Dhabi, just one day after a massive Russian air attack on Ukraine.

Euronews reports this in an article, according to Ukrinform.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that the tasks and position of the Ukrainian delegation in Abu Dhabi would be adjusted after Russia deliberately attacked Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure overnight into Tuesday. Zelensky reiterated that by launching 71 missiles and 450 drones at Ukraine, Russia demonstrated its true intentions, which have remained unchanged since the first day of the full-scale invasion.

"Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed: they continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously. The work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly," Zelensky said.

He did not specify exactly what would change or what Kyiv's position would be following the latest Russian attack. He emphasized that "without pressure on Russia, there will be no end to this war."

"Right now, Moscow is choosing terror and escalation, and that is why maximum pressure is required," Zelensky said.

The first round of trilateral talks in the UAE capital in late January produced few results, the outlet notes. Although all sides described the negotiations as "constructive," the key issue remains the status of Ukraine's territories temporarily occupied by Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the talks "very complex." "On some issues, we have certainly come closer because there have been discussions, conversations, and on some issues it is easier to find common ground. There are issues where it's more difficult to find common ground," Peskov said.

At the same time, US and Ukrainian sources cited by POLITICO who are familiar with the course of the talks say there are signs that the current negotiations may be more promising than is widely believed and claim that both sides are being more "constructive."

One Republican foreign policy expert said he has noticed that the Russians are taking these negotiations more seriously. Partly, he said, this is due to the skills of those now leading the Ukrainian negotiating team following the departure of former head of Zelensky's Office Andrii Yermak. A former senior Ukrainian official speaking to POLITICO was less optimistic but agreed that the mood has shifted and that Russia's tone at the negotiating table has also changed. He described the head of the Russian delegation, Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian General Staff Igor Kostyukov, and military intelligence officer Aleksandr Zorin as practical people, and said that neither of them tends to deliver long lectures about the "root causes" of the conflict — unlike Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin. "The Russian intelligence officers have been workmanlike, digging into practical details," the former official said, with whom Zelensky's office still consults.

As Ukrinform reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the framework of the discussion and specific tasks for the Ukrainian negotiating team ahead of the new round of trilateral meetings in the United Arab Emirates.