Russia, Ukraine and the US have been holding trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi for the first time. But Moscow has not eased its attacks across Ukraine – causing the country’s energy crisis to worsen.
Friday 23 January 2026 21:33, UK
That’s all for now, but we will be back with any updates from the UAE.
That’s where the US, Russia and Ukraine are continuing their first trilateral talks – with the White House citing a “productive”meeting.
In the meantime, catch up on this week’s Q&A with our military analyst Michael Clarke, in which he outlines why he is not so optimistic about the talks in the UAE…
We’ve just heard from Professor Mark Galeotti, an expert in modern Russia from the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, on today’s Abu Dhabi talks.
He tells presenter Jonathan Samuels that, despite being hailed as a big step forward, discussions between Ukraine, Russia and the US will inevitably be stuck on the issue of territory.
Galeotti says Vladimir Putin will not yield on his demand that Ukraine cedes the remainder of the eastern Donbas region to Moscow as a cost for peace.
“I think this is indeed something that Putin is holding out for,” he says.
“There are no signs that Zelenskyy can or will make this massive concession to the Russians, even if the Americans are pushing for it. This is the problem.
“Trump talks about how 90%-95% of all the issues have been sorted and to a degree, that’s true. A lot of the other issues have been dealt with. But this remaining 5%-10% is something that at present doesn’t look like there’s any way they’re going to be able to get through in two days.”
Ukraine’s president has put out a brief statement on social media.
He said his delegation should have answers from Russia by now, and that the key is “Russia must be ready to end the war it started”.
“As for the substance of today’s discussions, it is still too early to draw conclusions,” he added.
“We will see how the conversation develops tomorrow and what results it produces.”
We’ve just had an update from the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council.
Rustem Umerov, a top negotiator for Kyiv, had this to say on social media in the past few moments:
“The meeting focused on the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process aimed at advancing toward a dignified and lasting peace.
“Additional meetings are scheduled for tomorrow. Tomorrow, the Head of the General Staff, General Andrii Hnatov, and the Deputy Head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Vadym Skibitskyi, will join the Ukrainian delegation.”
Today’s meeting between the US, Ukraine and Russia was behind closed doors in the UAE.
While the media was not allowed near the discussions, the country has released these images from the negotiations.
It’s the first visual confirmation we’ve had that all three parties were in the same room together.
We’ve just had an update from Washington on the talks that have been taking place today.
A White House official has told our US partner network NBC News: “Today’s trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia was productive.
“Conversations will continue tomorrow.”
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the parties have agreed to pick up talks again tomorrow.
In developments elsewhere – but still related to diplomacy around Ukraine – Donald Trump’s remarks about NATO have been met with huge backlash.
In the UK, politicians across the divide have condemned the president’s comment last night – when he said the alliance’s troops were “a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan.
Over the course of that campaign – started at Washington’s behest – 457 British service men and women died.
It’s put a further strain on US relations with NATO and Ukraine’s allies.
In an apparent response to Trump’s comment, Prince Harry has put out a statement.
Here’s what he’s said:
“In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first-and only-time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.
“I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there. The United Kingdom alone had 457 service personnel killed.
“Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.
“Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace.”
Earlier today, we held our regular Ukraine Q&A with Professor Michael Clarke, hosted by presenter Matt Barbet.
They discussed a range of topics, including Europe seizing Russian oil tankers part of the so-called shadow fleet, the trilateral talks in the UAE today, Zelenskyy’s speech in Davos and more.
Here’s a summary of two of the best answers, or follow the link below to read back the whole thing…
‘Can we take on Russia?’
One reader asked about whether Europe seizing Russian oil tankers, as France did yesterday, would lead to an escalation or even war.
In response, Clarke warned Britain should be more concerned with whether it could deal with smaller-scale retaliation.
He said: “We’re walking towards some sort of militarised confrontation with Russia, not necessarily a war, but militarised confrontation, and we’re still, as it were, gearing up for it without any real sense of urgency.”
Clarke added: “We have to be very careful because if we do get tough about these ships, which we said we will, and the Russians do react, which they will… have we got the ships and aircraft available to take on a Russian retaliation if necessary? And the answer at the moment is I’m not sure we have.”
Moscow ‘in no mood for ceasefire’
Another reader wanted to know how today’s trilateral talks in the UAE might play out and whether they’d lead to anything.
Clarke’s simple response: “I doubt it.”
His reasoning for this lay in the nature of the Russian delegation sent to the talks.
While Ukraine and the US had put forward their most senior negotiators, Russia has sent a military delegation that, Clarke pointed out, has “no political authority” – meaning they can’t actually make any serious decisions.
Clarke added: “They’re not in any mood to have a ceasefire, and I don’t think we’ll see anything coming out of this meeting.”
Watch the Q&A in full here…
With talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia now said to have begun in Abu Dhabi, we’ve been catching up with our team of experts to dissect how important these discussions could be.
Speaking from nearby Dubai, correspondent Sally Lockwood says the talks have the essence of feeling like a “big moment” but adds that we still have no confirmation all three parties are in the same room together.
She also notes Ukraine has sent a much more senior negotiation team to the talks, while Russia appears to have sent a much more junior delegation.
Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett agrees that the gap in seniority of each team is noteworthy, but adds the fact these talks are happening “is still a step in the right direction”.
He says discussions taking place behind closed doors with no access to the media shows “just how seriously both sides are taking it” and how sensitive they consider the issues to be.
Watch their full thoughts on the talks…
The French Navy has diverted the Russian oil tanker it detained yesterday towards the port of Marseille-Fos for further investigation, a source close to the investigation told Reuters.
The navy had intercepted the tanker, already under European sanctions for its role in facilitating trade in sanctioned oil, on suspicion of operating under a false flag and being part of Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet”.
The tanker, sailing under a Comoros flag, was intercepted shortly after it crossed into the Mediterranean Sea through the Straits of Gibraltar.
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