MOSCOW, Jan 23 (KUNA) -- The Russian Presidency (the Kremlin) said Friday that an agreement with the United States to launch a new negotiating track on the Ukraine crisis includes holding the first meeting of a trilateral security working group in Abu Dhabi, with representatives from Russia, the United States and Ukraine.
Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said in a press statement following talks between the Russian President and the US delegation that President Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner and Joshua Greenbaum, a senior White House economic adviser joining the team for the first time.
Ushakov said the negotiations lasted about four hours and were highly useful, constructive, candid and based on trust, noting that the US delegation arrived from Davos after participating in events with President Donald Trump related to the Ukraine settlement.
He added that both sides exchanged new impressions and assessments of President Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Davos, attended by Witkoff and Kushner, as well as other US contacts held in December and January in Florida and several European capitals.
Ushakov said the meeting focused on obtaining information about the results of US contacts with Ukrainians and European partners and defining parameters for further work that serves everyone's interests, noting agreement on the next step.
In this context, it was agreed to hold the first meeting of the trilateral security working group today, Friday, January 23, in Abu Dhabi, alongside a meeting of the bilateral economic working group in the UAE capital.
He said the Russian security negotiating team has been formed and will depart for the UAE within hours, including representatives of the Defense Ministry leadership headed by Admiral Kostyukov, having received specific instructions from President Putin.
Ushakov stressed that the talks reaffirmed that "Without resolving the territorial issue according to the formula agreed upon in Anchorage, there is no hope of achieving a long-term settlement," adding that Putin confirmed Russia's sincere interest in a political and diplomatic solution.
He added that the Kremlin meeting also discussed President Trump's initiative to establish a "Peace Council," several regional issues, and the situation surrounding Greenland.
Regarding the Peace Council initiative, Ushakov said Russia expressed readiness to allocate USD one billion from frozen Russian assets for its budget, with remaining reserves potentially used for reconstruction after a peace treaty.
He said development of Russian-US relations was discussed theoretically, given the significant potential for cooperation, noting that US representatives are drafting concrete plans to be implemented after resolving the Ukraine conflict.
Ushakov concluded by saying the Kremlin meeting was useful in every sense for both sides, and that Moscow and Washington agreed to maintain close contacts on Ukraine and other issues.
Earlier, the Kremlin announced that talks had begun between President Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Jared Kushner, without disclosing agenda details.
It said the meeting included Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev and Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, as well as US Federal Procurement Service official Joshua Greenbaum.
The statement did not specify the duration of the meeting or whether official statements would follow, confirming only that talks had commenced at the Kremlin.
The talks come amid limited Russian-US contacts at political and economic levels, against complex international issues and differing positions, making direct meetings a focus of political attention. (end) dan.aai