Trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to be held in the United Arab Emirates, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday.
“I think that it will be the first trilateral meeting in Emirates. It will be tomorrow and the day after tomorrow,” Zelenskyy said as he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump shake hands during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, January 22, 2026.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/AFP via Getty Images
Zelenskyy said Russia “has to be ready for compromises” — not just Ukraine, noting that both Kyiv and Moscow are in a “difficult situation” at this point in the almost four-year-long war.
The Ukrainian leader’s comments came shortly after he met with President Donald Trump on the sidelines at Davos. The two last met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in December.
Trump told reporters on Thursday that his meeting with Zelenskyy was “very good,” but that it was still an “ongoing process.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a panel discussion during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026.
Gian Ehrenzeller/epa/shutterstoc/GIAN EHRENZELLER/EPA/Shutterstoc
Zelenskyy also described the meeting as “good,” but said this is the “last mile, which is difficult.”
“During any dialogue with any president, I have to defend the interests of my country. That’s why the dialogue is — maybe it’s not simple, but today it was positive,” he said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Donald Trump hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, January 22, 2026.
Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/EPA/Shutterstock
Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday for peace talks. Witkoff said he was “optimistic” ahead of the meeting.
“I think we’ve got it down to one issue. And we have discussed iterations of that issue, and that means it’s solvable,” Witkoff said in Davos. “So if both sides want to solve this, we’re going to get it solved. That’s, that’s my view.”
Witkoff said his next stop after Moscow was Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, where he said “working groups” will be discussing “military-to-military” issues and “prosperity.”
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Othon Leyva contributed to this report.
