The Kremlin has confirmed that the next round of talks with Ukraine and the United States on a possible end to the war will take place later this week in Abu Dhabi, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Monday.
The meeting had originally been planned for Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in Moscow, according to the agency.
However, Peskov said further scheduling by the three delegations had been necessary. “The second round will now take place on Wednesday and Thursday in Abu Dhabi,” he was reported as saying.
This tallies with the dates given by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday.
Direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev resumed in Abu Dhabi a week ago after a long hiatus.
The talks, aimed at exploring a path to peace following almost four years of conflict, were held behind closed doors and mediated by the US through its chief negotiator Steve Witkoff.
While the negotiating teams have repeatedly described talks as constructive, an agreement on a peace deal is not yet in sight, with territorial issues remaining a key sticking point.
Russia is demanding that Kiev withdraw from parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region – an area primarily focused on the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk – that remain under Ukrainian control. Zelensky has repeatedly rejected such territorial concessions.
At the request of US President Donald Trump, Russia agreed to temporarily pause attacks on energy infrastructure until February 1, due to the extreme cold and extensive damage in Kiev and other cities. Strikes on other targets have continued.
Peskov said, according to Interfax, that there was nothing to add to the fact that the partial ceasefire only applied until Sunday.