Zelenskiy says Abu Dhabi peace talks’ timing could shift amid U.S.-Iran tensions

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that the timing or location of a planned U.S.-mediated follow-up round of Ukraine-Russia talks could change because of developments in tensions between the United States and Iran, and he stressed Kyiv’s insistence that “everyone we agreed with be present at the meeting, because everyone is expecting feedback.” His office released the remarks on Jan. 29, leaving the scheduling of a session that had been expected in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 1 uncertain.

Zelenskiy added bluntly that “the date or the location may change – because, in our view, something is happening in the situation between the United States and Iran. And those developments could likely affect the timing.” He also told reporters his government did not yet know when the next meeting would take place. The comments came after a multi-day, U.S.-brokered round in Abu Dhabi that negotiators described as productive on technical details but which concluded without a formal deal.

U.S. officials involved in the Abu Dhabi discussions described the talks as focused on granular security protocols required to end hostilities. A U.S. official, speaking after the talks, said the proposed security protocols were “very, very strong” and added, “We saw a lot of respect in the room between the parties because they were really looking to find solutions.” The same official said negotiators “got to real granular detail” and expressed the hope that “next Sunday will be, God willing, another meeting where we push this deal towards its final culmination.”

The diplomatic process is complicated by parallel engagement in Moscow. Two top U.S. envoys who attended earlier rounds, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, were received by President Vladimir Putin in Moscow for overnight talks, where the Kremlin indicated any peace deal would require Kyiv to withdraw its forces from Russian-annexed eastern territories that Moscow does not fully control. Their presence in Moscow raised questions about whether they would join the Abu Dhabi weekend meeting.

UAE officials, who hosted the Abu Dhabi sessions, said negotiators engaged face to face and tackled outstanding elements of a U.S.-drafted peace framework, but all sides stopped short of endorsing a final text. Kyiv framed the discussions as centering on “possible parameters for ending the war,” according to a post the president made on X after the meetings.

The talks are unfolding against a winter humanitarian squeeze. Officials said overnight Russian airstrikes knocked out power for over a million Ukrainians amid subzero temperatures, underscoring the urgency for practical security and reconstruction commitments that negotiators are trying to draft.

Zelenskiy also used the diplomatic window to press longer-term assurances, telling reporters that “technically, we will be ready in 2027” to join the European Union and that “we will have implemented the main steps required for membership by the end of 2026.” He said Kyiv wanted a clear timeline to underpin post-war security guarantees.

For now, the process remains fluid: Kyiv insists on a full and inclusive participant list, Moscow is circulating hard territorial preconditions, and outside tensions between the United States and Iran are injecting fresh uncertainty into when and where the next round will convene.