Putin Agrees Next Steps With US Envoys, Kremlin Says Territory Is Key

The Chronify

January 23, 2026

Russia has agreed to hold security talks with the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi but warned that lasting peace is impossible without resolving territorial issues. The remarks followed a late-night, four-hour meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoys.

Russia will hold trilateral security talks with the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on Friday, the Kremlin said, while stressing that territorial disputes remain the central obstacle to any durable peace agreement.

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the talks were agreed upon after a late-night meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and three US envoys. The discussions began shortly before midnight and lasted around four hours.

Ushakov described the talks as “substantive, constructive and very frank,” but cautioned against expectations of a major breakthrough. He said Russian Admiral Igor Kostyukov would lead Moscow’s delegation at the security talks, while Russia’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev would hold separate discussions on economic matters with Steve Witkoff, a representative of US President Donald Trump.

Despite agreeing on next steps, Ushakov underscored that peace efforts would falter unless territorial questions are addressed.
“Most importantly, during these talks between our president and the Americans, it was reiterated that without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement,” he said.

The comment referred to understandings reached during last year’s Trump–Putin summit in Alaska, which Moscow considers a baseline for any future settlement.