Moscow Negotiations Conclude: US Delegation Meets Putin Ahead of Abu Dhabi Summit

On January 22, 2026, the Kremlin served as the venue for a pivotal round of bilateral negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Steve Witkoff, the Special Envoy for the United States. This high-level diplomatic engagement underscores the intensifying efforts between Moscow and Washington to find common ground on pressing international issues. The meeting is seen as a critical precursor to broader multilateral discussions scheduled to take place in the Middle East.

The American diplomatic mission was notably high-profile, featuring Special Envoy Steve Witkoff alongside Jared Kushner, who serves as both the senior advisor and son-in-law to President Donald Trump. They were joined by Josh Gruenbaum, a White House official who, since January 16, 2026, has held the position of senior advisor to the newly established Peace Council concerning Gaza. This session represented the seventh face-to-face encounter between Witkoff and the Russian leader, with the discussions spanning approximately four hours of intensive dialogue.

Yuri Ushakov, a senior aide to the Russian President, characterized the discussions as exceptionally substantive, constructive, and marked by a high degree of frankness and mutual trust. A primary focus of the meeting was an analysis of recent American interactions with the Ukrainian leadership, particularly following the high-stakes meeting between President Trump and President Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Ushakov emphasized that a sustainable long-term resolution remains contingent on settling territorial disputes based on the previously established Anchorage formula. Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff had earlier indicated that the negotiation process has effectively narrowed down to resolving a single core issue.

Following the conclusion of the Moscow consultations, President Putin provided the Russian delegation with specific directives for their participation in the inaugural tripartite security working group meeting. This summit is scheduled to take place on January 23, 2026, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Admiral Igor Kostyukov, the head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU), will lead the Russian side, accompanied by various high-ranking representatives from the Ministry of Defense. According to Ushakov, the American side invested considerable effort into orchestrating this upcoming gathering to ensure a productive start to the working group's activities.

In tandem with the trilateral security format, Abu Dhabi will also host a meeting of the bilateral economic affairs group. This session will see Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s special representative for investment and economic cooperation, engaging with Steve Witkoff to discuss financial frameworks. The inclusion of Josh Gruenbaum—who also serves as the commissioner of the U.S. Federal Procurement Service—in the Moscow talks highlights a new emphasis on the detailed economic dimensions of the peace plan. These developments are unfolding as the international community nears the four-year mark since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Within the broader context of the Trump administration's peace initiatives, Jared Kushner’s involvement in these negotiations, coupled with his ongoing work on the economic framework for Gaza, illustrates the extensive mandate of his diplomatic mission. Russia has signaled its readiness to contribute to the momentum of these peace efforts. Specifically, Moscow has expressed a willingness to allocate $1 billion from its frozen assets to the Trump-proposed Peace Council once a formal agreement has been successfully reached, marking a significant potential shift in the management of sanctioned resources.