Ukraine war briefing: Russians must compromise, Zelenskyy says as envoys race to Abu Dhabi

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Original article by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “Russians have to be ready for compromises” as his envoys rushed to Abu Dhabi for two days of trilateral meetings bringing together the US, Ukraine and Russia. The peace talks simultaneously involving Russia and Ukraine mark one of a handful of times the warring parties have convened in one forum since 2022 and the early days of the war. “I hope [the] Emirates know about it. Sometimes, we have such surprises from the American side,” Zelenskyy said of the talks, suggesting they were called by the US at short notice. “It will be the first trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates,” said Ukraine’s president, who spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Everybody has to be ready [for compromise], not only Ukraine, and this is important for us,” Zelenskyy said. Steve Witkoff, one of the US envoys, said the Abu Dhabi proceedings would take the form of “military to military” working groups. He met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and a Kremlin spokesperson said: “It was agreed that the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues will take place today in Abu Dhabi.”
More details had not been released at time of writing, and it was not clear whether Russian and Ukrainian officials would meet face-to-face. White House representatives have for months been alternating between talks with the Russians and Ukrainians – usually appearing to bestow their greatest favour on the Russian side and prioritising Moscow’s concerns, to the consternation of Kyiv and its other allies. In 2025, Donald Trump feted Vladimir Putin with a meeting in Alaska that proved unproductive, and also announced direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy that never happened.

Trump repeated at Davos on Wednesday his oft-stated belief that Zelenskyy and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, were close to a deal. Zelenskyy said a draft deal was “nearly, nearly ready” and that he and Trump had agreed on the issue of postwar security guarantees. He said the UK and France had already committed to forces on the ground.
The French navy has intercepted a Russian tanker, the Grinch, in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of the “shadow fleet” that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions, writes Jason Burke. “The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies,” said Emmanuel Macron. The UK announced it had provided support. At Davos, in a blistering speech criticising European allies, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they should be playing a more muscular role in targeting the “shadow fleet” and complained that it remained too easy for Russia to bypass sanctions, and to continue mass-producing missiles and other ordnance.

Russian forces launched four strikes on the town of Komyshuvakha, killing one person and injuring 10, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region said. Several homes were damaged in the attack on the town, which is east of the region’s main city, also called Zaporizhzhia.
In the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s home town in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone and missile attack injured 13 people, including four children, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration. The attacks hit apartment buildings, schools and critical infrastructure. “The main thing is everyone is alive,” Vilkul wrote. “Six people are in hospital, including three children.”
Ukraine is no longer considered in default after completing an exchange of securities after a missed 2025 payment, S&P Global Ratings said on Thursday. The rating agency cited the completion in late December of an exchange for $2.6bn of Ukraine’s GDP warrants for new and existing bonds. A “small” portion of Ukraine’s commercial debt remains in default, but S&P said Ukraine is engaged in restructuring talks with creditors and that the funds in question represent less than 2.5% of Ukraine’s total outstanding commercial debt.
S&P said Ukraine’s overall credit rating – which is deep into the “speculative” category on the firm’s scale – reflects that its financial condition “remains vulnerable and dependent on favourable financial and economic conditions, including the evolution of the war and continued support of its allies”.

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Ukraine war briefing: Russians must compromise, Zelenskyy says as envoys race to Abu Dhabi

Click any word to translate

Original article by Warren Murray with Guardian writers and agencies

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “Russians have to be ready for compromises” as his envoys rushed to Abu Dhabi for two days of trilateral meetings bringing together the US, Ukraine and Russia. The peace talks simultaneously involving Russia and Ukraine mark one of a handful of times the warring parties have convened in one forum since 2022 and the early days of the war. “I hope [the] Emirates know about it. Sometimes, we have such surprises from the American side,” Zelenskyy said of the talks, suggesting they were called by the US at short notice. “It will be the first trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates,” said Ukraine’s president, who spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“Everybody has to be ready [for compromise], not only Ukraine, and this is important for us,” Zelenskyy said. Steve Witkoff, one of the US envoys, said the Abu Dhabi proceedings would take the form of “military to military” working groups. He met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday and a Kremlin spokesperson said: “It was agreed that the first meeting of a trilateral working group on security issues will take place today in Abu Dhabi.”
More details had not been released at time of writing, and it was not clear whether Russian and Ukrainian officials would meet face-to-face. White House representatives have for months been alternating between talks with the Russians and Ukrainians – usually appearing to bestow their greatest favour on the Russian side and prioritising Moscow’s concerns, to the consternation of Kyiv and its other allies. In 2025, Donald Trump feted Vladimir Putin with a meeting in Alaska that proved unproductive, and also announced direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy that never happened.

Trump repeated at Davos on Wednesday his oft-stated belief that Zelenskyy and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, were close to a deal. Zelenskyy said a draft deal was “nearly, nearly ready” and that he and Trump had agreed on the issue of postwar security guarantees. He said the UK and France had already committed to forces on the ground.
The French navy has intercepted a Russian tanker, the Grinch, in the Mediterranean suspected of being part of the “shadow fleet” that enables Russia to export oil despite sanctions, writes Jason Burke. “The operation was carried out on the high seas in the Mediterranean, with the support of several of our allies,” said Emmanuel Macron. The UK announced it had provided support. At Davos, in a blistering speech criticising European allies, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said they should be playing a more muscular role in targeting the “shadow fleet” and complained that it remained too easy for Russia to bypass sanctions, and to continue mass-producing missiles and other ordnance.

Russian forces launched four strikes on the town of Komyshuvakha, killing one person and injuring 10, the governor of the Zaporizhzhia region said. Several homes were damaged in the attack on the town, which is east of the region’s main city, also called Zaporizhzhia.
In the industrial city of Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s home town in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a drone and missile attack injured 13 people, including four children, said Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the city’s military administration. The attacks hit apartment buildings, schools and critical infrastructure. “The main thing is everyone is alive,” Vilkul wrote. “Six people are in hospital, including three children.”
Ukraine is no longer considered in default after completing an exchange of securities after a missed 2025 payment, S&P Global Ratings said on Thursday. The rating agency cited the completion in late December of an exchange for $2.6bn of Ukraine’s GDP warrants for new and existing bonds. A “small” portion of Ukraine’s commercial debt remains in default, but S&P said Ukraine is engaged in restructuring talks with creditors and that the funds in question represent less than 2.5% of Ukraine’s total outstanding commercial debt.
S&P said Ukraine’s overall credit rating – which is deep into the “speculative” category on the firm’s scale – reflects that its financial condition “remains vulnerable and dependent on favourable financial and economic conditions, including the evolution of the war and continued support of its allies”.