A new round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States will take place in Abu Dhabi on 4–5 February, but analysts warn that deep divisions between Kyiv and Moscow make a breakthrough unlikely.
Moscow has described the negotiations as “complex and multi-directional”, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv is ready for a “substantive discussion” aimed at achieving a “real and dignified end to the war”.
Political analyst Orkan Nabiyev told AnewZ that the core challenge lies in the fundamentally opposing objectives of the two sides.
“The positions of the two countries, Ukraine and Russia, are diametrically opposed to each other,” Nabiyev said.
He said Russia’s ambitions extend far beyond eastern Ukraine, with Moscow seeking to maintain long-term strategic leverage rather than settle for limited territorial gains.
“The main goal of Russia is to take Donetsk, to hold the Donetsk region - and ultimately all of Ukraine - because Putin’s aim is to control all of Ukraine, not just a small region,” he said.
According to the analyst, this strategic gap makes meaningful compromise difficult and turns the negotiation process into a tactical exercise rather than a genuine peace effort.
He argued that Russia is using talks primarily to buy time and manage external pressure, particularly the risk of additional sanctions from Washington.
Nabiyev also noted that while the US administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to engage in diplomacy, Moscow has shown little willingness to make reciprocal concessions.
Previous ceasefire efforts, including a brief pause in attacks on Ukraine’s energy and civilian infrastructure, collapsed within days, highlighting the fragility of such arrangements.
Commenting on remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting that “good news” could emerge from the talks, Nabiyev pointed to expectations of possible Ukrainian concessions.
“Good news may be Ukraine’s compromise on creating a demilitarised zone,” he said, adding that security-related compromises remain highly sensitive.
He also warned that domestic political constraints inside Russia further limit the Kremlin’s room for manoeuvre, making any major compromise difficult. As a result, Nabiyev said expectations for the Abu Dhabi talks should remain low.
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On 11 January, Russia’s war in Ukraine crossed a symbolic threshold. It entered its 1,418th day, matching exactly the duration of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. Despite promises of “taking Kyiv in three days” the number has now exposed the limits of Russian power and strategy.
Russian overnight drone attacks killed at least three people in Ukraine’s east and south on Monday (9 February), with officials reporting casualties in the Kharkiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Monday that Ukraine’s Security Service had ordered an attempt to assassinate General Vladimir Alexeyev, according to Interfax.
Russia launched a large-scale overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy system early on Saturday (7 February), hitting power generation and distribution facilities with more than 400 drones and around 40 missiles, Ukrainian officials have said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight on Saturday, marking the second such strike in less than a week, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party. The episode has raised doubts about Starmer’s authority and how firmly his own party continues to back him.
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
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Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, saying that “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
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