Trump Admin Optimistic on Russia-Ukraine Deal Following Abu Dhabi Trilateral Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, greet U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff, centre left, Jared Kushner, second right, and Josh Gruenbaum, the head of the Federal Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration, at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin, in Moscow, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via APPresident Donald Trump’s negotiators are seeing signs of progress on a deal to end the Russia–Ukraine conflict following two days of talks in the United Arab Emirates.U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, held trilateral talks with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday. While no parties announced an immediate breakthrough from the talks, a pair of U.S. officials familiar with the discussions described marked progress since November, when U.S. and Ukrainian representatives met in Geneva, Switzerland.