Zelenskyy names Abu Dhabi as next talks venue, says ‘leaders decide key issues’ in personalist regimes like Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 26 Feb. that the next trilateral meeting between Ukrainian, American, and Russian negotiating teams will take place in Abu Dhabi, likely in early March. The goal, he said, is to finalize security guarantees and prepare a summit between leaders.

"We need to finalize everything that has been achieved for real security guarantees and prepare a leaders-level meeting. This format can resolve a lot," Zelenskyy said in his evening address.

The announcement came after Zelenskyy spoke "several times" on Thursday with NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov, head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia, and US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following their meetings in Geneva, Switzerland.

"There is already more readiness for the next trilateral format," he added.

Geneva groundwork

The same day, Umerov held a bilateral meeting with the American negotiators — Witkoff, Kushner, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — in Geneva, according to Umerov's spokesperson Diana Davitian. The Geneva track has become the main venue for preparatory consultations: the previous trilateral round between Ukraine, the US, and Russia concluded there on 18 Feb.

Zelenskyy described those talks as difficult, noting that progress was limited to military matters. Specifically, the sides reached agreement on ceasefire monitoring with US participation, according to Zelenskyy.

Leaders' summit as the target

Zelenskyy framed the Abu Dhabi meeting as a stepping stone toward direct engagement between heads of state. "After all, leaders decide key issues, and when it comes to Russia, to such a personalist regime, this matters much more than in other countries," he said.

The timeline broadly aligns with what Witkoff himself said on 24 Feb. at a YES meeting organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation: he indicated that a trilateral meeting between Ukrainian, Russian, and US delegations could happen "within the next 10 days."

Russia's position

The Kremlin, however, has set conditions. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on 25 Feb. that a personal Zelenskyy-Putin meeting remains "under question" as long as Ukraine maintains its negotiating positions. Peskov added that a trilateral Zelenskyy-Trump-Putin meeting would only be possible to "finalize agreements," according to Ukrainian media reports.

Zelenskyy pushed back on Russia's stated willingness to negotiate. "Unfortunately, everyone can now see that Russia has no readiness for peace, and there is no sign that Putin is stopping his war machine either," he said.

He argued the path to peace runs through economic pressure: "Russia will stop the war even on its own, of its own will, when the world finally stops Russian oil, other Russian energy resources, and Russian banks," he added.

Air defense results and energy strategy

In the same address, Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian air defenses shot down more than 30 Russian missiles, most of them targeting energy infrastructure. He credited improved coordination within the Air Force and signed a decree awarding state decorations to air defense personnel.

Zelenskyy also said he discussed preparations for a new energy recovery and protection strategy with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, with finalization set for 1 March. The strategy aims to involve the European Commission, European countries, the US, international businesses, and Ukrainian companies in reinforcing energy infrastructure ahead of next winter.

The next trilateral meeting reportedly is also expected to address the management of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.