The White House has confirmed that representatives of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will participate in trilateral talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia, scheduled for February 4-5 in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Washington responded to the massive Russian strike on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which occurred despite prior agreements.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt made the announcement.
According to the press secretary, the U.S. delegation in the UAE will be represented by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Leavitt described the talks as "historic," noting the unique nature of the format.
"That is why the president continues to pursue such aggressive diplomacy to end this war. That is why Special Envoy Witkoff and Jared Kushner will be in Abu Dhabi tomorrow for the next round of trilateral talks," she noted.
The White House also commented on Russia's latest attack, which defied the Kremlin's promise to refrain from striking energy targets for a week. Leavitt said she discussed the situation with Trump, describing his reaction as telling.
"His reaction, unfortunately, was one of no surprise. These are two countries that have been fighting an extremely brutal war for several years now—a war that never would have started had the president still been in power. It began because of the weakness and incompetence of the previous president, Joe Biden," the press secretary said.
The Trump administration expressed hope for the success of the diplomatic mission in the Emirates, drawing parallels with the team's previous achievements in the Middle East.
"The Special Envoy, Jared Kushner, and President Trump made the impossible possible regarding peace in the Middle East, and I know they are aiming to do the same regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine," Leavitt added.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had blatantly disregarded a personal request from the U.S. President to limit strikes, adding that Kyiv expects an appropriate response from Washington.