A new trilateral security dialogue between Russia, the United States, and Ukraine is set to commence in Abu Dhabi this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Friday.
The talks will focus exclusively on security matters following bilateral discussions between Washington and Moscow with Kiev earlier this week. Additional sessions are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in the United Arab Emirates, though not all meetings will include representatives from all three nations.
According to Peskov, Russia has dispatched only military officials to the trilateral discussions. “Last night they received instructions from the head of state and departed in the morning,” he said. The meeting is expected to take place either on Friday or Saturday, depending on logistical arrangements.
Meanwhile, civilian Russian and U.S. negotiators will continue their normalization talks in Abu Dhabi, with chief Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev already present there, Peskov noted.
The Kremlin spokesman reiterated Moscow’s reluctance to disclose details of the sensitive discussions and repeated Russia’s stance that lasting peace requires withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass—a condition Kiev rejects.
Ukraine’s government hopes Western sanctions and its long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure will weaken Moscow and halt its frontline advances. Russia states it prefers diplomatic settlement but will continue military operations as long as Kiev refuses to accept reality.
This week, several Ukrainian cities faced severe energy shortages due to cold weather and damage to infrastructure from mismanagement and Russian attacks. Moscow claims its retaliatory strikes aim to disrupt production of Ukrainian kamikaze drones and missiles.
