{"id":3715,"date":"2026-01-24T20:47:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T20:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3715"},"modified":"2026-01-24T20:47:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T20:47:26","slug":"territory-still-a-deal-breaker-in-ukraine-russia-u-s-abu-dhabi-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/?p=3715","title":{"rendered":"Territory Still a Deal-Breaker in Ukraine-Russia-U.S. Abu Dhabi Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at trilateral peace talks among <strong>Russia<\/strong>, <strong>Ukraine<\/strong>, and the <strong>United States<\/strong> in <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong>; a snap election in <strong>Japan<\/strong>; and continued violence following a disputed election in <strong>Uganda<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Barriers to Peace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States began <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cx20011w4zzo\">talks<\/a> in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Friday and are set to continue for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.gov.ae\/en\/MediaHub\/News\/2026\/1\/23\/UAE-Russia-Ukraine-United-States\">two days<\/a>, marking the first trilateral meeting of the three countries since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The discussions follow a late-night <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/putin-meets-us-envoys-late-night-talks-ukraine-2026-01-22\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=012326&amp;lctg=613a5f00d9cc9f63b10f5c6f\">meeting<\/a> in Moscow on Thursday involving Russian President Vladimir Putin; two Russian aides; and three U.S. representatives, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at trilateral peace talks among <strong>Russia<\/strong>, <strong>Ukraine<\/strong>, and the <strong>United States<\/strong> in <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong>; a snap election in <strong>Japan<\/strong>; and continued violence following a disputed election in <strong>Uganda<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-fallback\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">\n                <\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/category\/world-brief\/\">Sign up<\/a>  to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<form data-shortcode-newsletter=\"world_brief\" class=\"newsletter-unit-signup newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode email-capture--step-1 newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief newsletter-shortcode-world_brief\">\n<div class=\"show-on-email-capture--signed-up hide-from-newsletter-subscriber newsletter-unit-signup--shortcode--container\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-unit newsletter-row\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-world_brief\">\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">Sign up to receive World Brief in your inbox every weekday.<\/h2>\n<p>\n                        <button class=\"button\">Sign Up<\/button>\n                    <\/p>\n<div class=\"grid--flex newsletter-world_brief newsletter-signup-container\" role=\"group\" aria-label=\"World Brief sign up form\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"buttons\">\n<div class=\"hide-from-newsletter-subscriber privacy-policy-container\">\n<div class=\"privacy-policy-acknowledge\">\n<p><small>By submitting your email, you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/privacy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/termsofuse\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms of Use<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.<\/small><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\n    <label for=\"email-world_brief\">Enter your email<\/label><br \/>\n    <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" class=\"hide-from-reg hide-from-sub\" id=\"email-world_brief\" aria-required=\"true\" required=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>    <button class=\"button button--signup \" data-newsletter-id=\"world_brief\" data-sourceid=\"In-article unit\" type=\"submit\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"sign-up-text\">Sign Up<\/span><br \/>\n      <span class=\"loading-text\">Loading&#8230;<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button>\n  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Barriers to Peace<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States began <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cx20011w4zzo\">talks<\/a> in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Friday and are set to continue for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofa.gov.ae\/en\/MediaHub\/News\/2026\/1\/23\/UAE-Russia-Ukraine-United-States\">two days<\/a>, marking the first trilateral meeting of the three countries since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The discussions follow a late-night <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/putin-meets-us-envoys-late-night-talks-ukraine-2026-01-22\/?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=Newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=Daily-Briefing&amp;utm_term=012326&amp;lctg=613a5f00d9cc9f63b10f5c6f\">meeting<\/a> in Moscow on Thursday involving Russian President Vladimir Putin; two Russian aides; and three U.S. representatives, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s son-in-law Jared Kushner.<\/p>\n<p>Both meetings centered on territorial disputes, which Witkoff\u2014speaking on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, before he headed to Moscow\u2014said is the \u201cone issue\u201d still preventing a deal. Russia is demanding that Ukraine relinquish the portion of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine that Kyiv still controls. Previous U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c4g44r22j5jo\">proposals<\/a> have floated turning <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/08\/21\/donbas-importance-putin-ukraine-russia-war-peace-negotiations\/\">the Donbas<\/a>\u2014a region that includes Donetsk as well as the neighboring Luhansk oblast (province) of Ukraine\u2014into a demilitarized free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia currently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/23\/world\/ukraine-donbas-region-explained-intl\">occupies<\/a> nearly all of Luhansk and roughly two-thirds of Donetsk.<\/p>\n<p>Despite renewed efforts, there appears to be little sign of compromise. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after Thursday\u2019s meeting with U.S. officials in Moscow that, while Russia was \u201csincerely interested\u201d in a diplomatic solution, there would be \u201cno hope\u201d of a long-term settlement unless territorial issues were resolved according to the framework agreed at the Trump-Putin Alaska summit in August 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/clyvd3gkg1po\">No formal agreement<\/a> emerged from that meeting, though it was widely perceived as a <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/trump-putin-alaska-summit-looms-large-kremlins-ukraine\/story?id=128244821\">diplomatic win<\/a> for Putin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUntil this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation,\u201d Ushakov said.<\/p>\n<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also reaffirmed his refusal to cede territory to Russia. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c4g44r22j5jo\">told reporters<\/a> in Davos on Thursday. Zelensky has offered to withdraw Ukrainian troops by up to 25 miles from the remainder of Donetsk to create the demilitarized economic zone envisioned in the U.S. proposals, but only if Russia agrees to do the same.<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky\u2019s remarks followed a scorching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2026\/01\/22\/zelenskyy-davos-speech-trump-europe-ukraine-russia.html\">speech<\/a> at Davos in which he criticized European leaders for not acting quickly or decisively when it comes to helping Ukraine confront Putin or uniting to defend the continent on its own, without U.S. help. \u201cInstead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America\u2019s focus shifts elsewhere, Europe looks lost trying to convince the U.S. president to change,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/20\/ukraine-russia-war-putin-winter-ai-defense-strategy\/\">energy infrastructure<\/a> have plunged Kyiv into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/ukraine\/kyiv-freezing-dark-russian-strikes-leave-ukraines-capital-powerless-rcna254359\">worst winter power crisis<\/a> since the war began, leaving residents struggling through power and heat blackouts amid subfreezing temperatures. Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cq6vm677z76o\">declared<\/a> a state of emergency in the energy sector on Jan. 14 in response to the Russian infrastructure attacks, but experts warn that conditions are unlikely to improve soon, with colder weather and further Russian attacks in the forecast.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Today\u2019s Most Read<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>What We\u2019re Following<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Parliamentary dissolution. <\/strong>Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/japan-politics-takaichi-parliament-dissolution-election-74e9b32eb12a6f9823242255b92150b2\">dissolved<\/a> the lower house of parliament on Friday, seeking to capitalize on strong <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chosun.com\/english\/world-en\/2026\/01\/13\/LMVM4E5ZOJAWLFYT3LOPRPKACM\/\">approval ratings<\/a> and regain ground for her governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in snap elections set for Feb. 8. The gamble is intended to clear a path for Takaichi\u2019s hard-line agenda and strengthen her standing on the global stage.<\/p>\n<p>Takaichi is \u201choping to rekindle that magic of the <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/11\/25\/sanae-takaichi-china-japan-taiwan\/\">Abe era<\/a> when the LDP ruled supreme,\u201d Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies at Temple University\u2019s Japan Campus, told <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7346495\/japan-sanae-takaichi-snap-election-ldp\/\"><em>Time<\/em><\/a> magazine.<\/p>\n<p>Critics warn the move will <u>delay<\/u> parliamentary approval of Japan\u2019s fiscal 2026 budget and price relief measures at a moment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/japans-economy-is-worse-and-better-than-the-doom-and-gloom-f6bd5f58?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqd70v3L0jl4By34kBSFdOdj6P2QS3hWngU9BRM55rP7gjQ4a_AF0WbhAEyoRHw%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6973a20a&amp;gaa_sig=iLZbqRM7rwD3opa6U0JTHM2eq8LOIgWPZfZJF_Xz-zviWEcAPoc35FON9USJ9c0Eqju_irhOAeBRWjPse-DmuA%3D%3D\">economic strain<\/a> and rising costs. The strategy could also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/japans-ruling-party-vulnerable-as-snap-poll-looms\/a-75624573\">backfire<\/a> if the LDP\u2014weakened in recent years by political funding scandals and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/shinzo-abe-japan-crime-tokyo-south-korea-4bac3b7b504b857bc4d2a8ff503b4b37\">ties<\/a> to the Unification Church\u2014fails to secure a majority of the lower house\u2019s 465 seats. Still, with a 12-day campaign beginning next Tuesday, opposition parties do not appear to pose a serious threat.<\/p>\n<p>Takaichi, who has only held office for three months, made <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/11\/25\/sanae-takaichi-china-japan-taiwan\/\">major waves<\/a> in November when she suggested that Japan could deploy its Self-Defense Forces to support U.S. forces in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Continued violence. <\/strong>Ugandan military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba said in a series of social media posts on Friday that authorities had <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mkainerugaba\/status\/2014446134756814998\">detained<\/a> 2,000 opposition supporters and <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mkainerugaba\/status\/2014444019980308742\">killed<\/a> 30 National Unity Platform (NUP) members. Kainerugaba\u2019s father, President Yoweri Museveni, won a seventh term in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/01\/17\/nx-s1-5680817\/uganda-museveni-wine-election-disputed-election#:~:text=Supporters%20of%20Uganda's%20incumbent%20President,Electoral%20Commission%2C%20made%20the%20announcement.\">disputed<\/a> election last weekend. The vote took place during a government-imposed internet shutdown and has been <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/16\/uganda-presidential-election-yoweri-museveni-bobi-wine-internet-blackouts\/\">marred<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnestyusa.org\/press-releases\/uganda-authorities-subjecting-opposition-supporters-to-brutal-campaign-of-repression-ahead-of-elections\/\">reports<\/a> of widespread repression, voter intimidation, and violence against the opposition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost NUP terrorist leaders are in hiding,\u201d Kainerugaba <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mkainerugaba\">posted<\/a>. \u201cWe shall get them all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c394pk4p707o\">BBC<\/a> from hiding on Thursday, NUP leader Bobi Wine disputed the results of the election but said he will not challenge them in court, citing the country\u2019s \u201ccaptured\u201d judiciary. Instead, he encouraged Ugandans to \u201cuse any legal means to fight back and protect their democracy.\u201d Wine said he has been undercover since police raided his home on Jan. 16, though the government denies this, claiming that officers were deployed as security. On Thursday, police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/uganda-police-detain-opposition-lawmaker-after-least-seven-killed-2026-01-22\/\">announced<\/a> the detention of NUP lawmaker Muwanga Kivumbi for charges relating to a disputed clash between police and NUP supporters on Jan. 15.<\/p>\n<p>Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transfer of power since the country gained independence\u2014and this election appears no different. \u201cMuseveni\u2019s regime, like many long-standing autocracies, no longer competes with outsiders; it competes with itself,\u201d wrote Kristof Titeca in <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2025\/11\/27\/uganda-elections-museveni-violence-kampala\/\"><em>Foreign Policy<\/em><\/a> in November 2025. \u201cIts elections are not about legitimacy but about calibration\u2014deciding how to distribute spoils without destabilizing the pyramid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Growing rift. <\/strong>The White House\u2019s relationship with the United States\u2019 northern neighbor is getting even icier. Just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/clymd0d8zvyo\">one day<\/a> after Trump remarked that \u201cCanada lives because of the United States,\u201d Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back on Thursday. \u201cCanada doesn\u2019t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,\u201d he declared, appearing to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/carney-canada-davos-trump-eee151f749f35c8b30a9ff4a9525d0be\">directly respond<\/a> to the U.S. leader\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n<p>Carney\u2014who earlier this month <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/17\/world\/canada\/carney-china-trade-tariffs.html\">traveled<\/a> to Beijing to ink a <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/20\/china-canada-trade-deal-trump-us-tariffs-agriculture-electric-vehicles\/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921\">preliminary trade deal<\/a> with China\u2014has publicly and forcefully outlined a road map to pushing back against the Trump administration\u2019s global agenda. He elucidated that vision on Tuesday in a <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/21\/mark-carney-speech-davos-trump-canada-full-text-transcript-read\/\">fiery speech at Davos<\/a> in which he declared that countries are facing \u201ca rupture in the world order.\u201d He added that \u201cmiddle powers must act together, because if we\u2019re not at the table, we\u2019re on the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later on Thursday, Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he had rescinded an invitation to Carney to join Trump\u2019s invite-only \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/22\/board-of-peace-charter-signing-ceremony-trump-davos-member-countries-gaza\/\">Board of Peace<\/a>.\u201d Canadian officials had previously said that Carney planned to accept the invitation, but he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/23\/us\/politics\/trump-carney-canada-board-peace.html\">appeared<\/a> to reverse course after the White House revealed that countries would have to pay $1 billion to get a permanent seat on the board.<em>\u2014Christina Lu <\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>What in the World?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Peruvian President Jos\u00e9 Jer\u00ed said on Monday that he would make himself available to prosecutors and a congressional committee that are investigating him for doing what?<\/p>\n<p>A. Accepting undisclosed gifts from regional heads of state<\/p>\n<p>B. Having undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman<\/p>\n<p>C. Conspiring to postpone April elections<\/p>\n<p>D. Bribing legislators to execute his political agenda<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>Odds and Ends<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Costume designer Ruth E. Carter made Academy Award history yesterday as the <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/awards\/ruth-e-carter-most-nominated-black-woman-oscars-history-1236632808\/\">most-nominated<\/a> Black woman of all time, earning her fifth nomination for her work in the Jim Crow-era Southern Gothic vampire thriller <em>Sinners<\/em>, which also <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2026\/film\/awards\/sinners-oscars-nominations-record-16-nods-1236632543\/\">broke<\/a> Oscars records with 16 nominations. Carter previously became the first Black person to win an Oscar for costume design for <em>Black Panther<\/em> (2019) and won again for <em>Wakanda Forever<\/em> (2022), cementing her status as one of Hollywood\u2019s most prominent designers.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h3><strong>And the Answer Is\u2026 <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>B. Having undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman<\/p>\n<p>The meetings follow a regional trend of countries seeking out stronger partnerships with countries outside of the United States, which FP\u2019s Catherine Osborn <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/latin-america-davos-carney-global-order-us-trump-economy\/?tpcc=recirc_latest062921\">wrote<\/a> about in Latin America Brief.<\/p>\n<p>To take the rest of FP\u2019s weekly international news quiz, <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/foreign-policy-news-quiz-trump-europe-tariff-threat-world-economic-forum-china-demographics\/\">click here<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/alerts\/\">sign up<\/a> to be alerted when a new one is published.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2026\/01\/23\/ukraine-russia-united-states-war-negotiations-putin-trump-zelensky-abu-dhabi-davos\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome back to World Brief, where we\u2019re looking at trilateral peace talks among Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi; a snap election in Japan; and continued violence following a disputed election in Uganda. Barriers to Peace Officials from Russia, Ukraine, and the United States began talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-politcical-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/firearmupgrades.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}