Russia Stands Firm on Territory Demands: Kremlin

Moscow said on Jan. 26 that it stands firm on its territory demands in Ukraine, following the first trilateral discussions between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States over the weekend.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not give details of what was discussed at the meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, saying that Russia’s position has been long-established.

“Let’s not discuss specific provisions for now,” Peskov told Russian state news agency TASS. “Our position is well-known.

“The ‘Anchorage Formula’ was discussed, and a corresponding understanding was reached with American negotiators and with [U.S.] President Donald Trump. Negotiations are currently underway at the expert level. A working group is leading the work. Direct negotiations are still in their early stages. It would be wrong to discuss specific provisions of the issues on the agenda right now, especially in a public forum.”

The Anchorage Formula is a term used by the Kremlin to describe what it believes was agreed upon during discussions between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin when the pair met in the Alaskan city in August 2025.

“It’s no secret to anyone, this is our consistent position, the position of [Putin], that the territorial issue, which is part of the ‘Anchorage Formula,’ is, of course, of fundamental importance for the Russian side,” Peskov said, noting that further discussions among the three countries would continue next week.

Precise details of that agreement have not been made public. Peskov previously said that such a move would be inadvisable.

Russia has previously demanded that Kyiv surrender its entire eastern industrial area, the Donbas.

Although Moscow has effective control over much of the disputed territory, Ukraine still holds about 20 percent of the Donetsk region of the Donbas and has resisted Russia’s demands that it cede the territory as part of a peace agreement.

Peskov’s comments follow remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Jan. 25 that a U.S. document laying out security guarantees for Ukraine is “100 percent ready,” and is only waiting for a time and a place to be signed.

“For us, security guarantees are first and foremost guarantees of security from the United States,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference during a visit to Vilnius, Lithuania. “The document is 100 percent ready, and we are waiting for our partners to confirm the date and place when we will sign it.”

Zelenskyy said it would be “sent for ratification to the U.S. Congress and the Ukrainian parliament” after the signing.

He did not provide details on the nature of the guarantees provided in the document.

Zelenskyy’s remarks suggest that progress is being made after trilateral talks were held between Ukraine and Russia with U.S. mediation, the first meeting of its kind since the war began.

Speaking about the Abu Dhabi talks in the Lithuanian capital, Zelenskyy said that “the 20-point [U.S.] plan and problematic issues are being discussed.”

“There were many problematic issues, but now there are fewer,” he said.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine had not moved from the position that Ukraine’s territorial integrity should be upheld.

He said Moscow wants to do everything possible to get Ukraine to abandon these eastern regions, which Russia has been unable to capture.

“These are two fundamentally different positions—Ukraine’s and Russia’s,” Zelenskyy said, noting that all sides must be ready to compromise, including the United States. “The Americans are trying to find a compromise.”

Although no parties announced an immediate breakthrough from the talks, a pair of U.S. officials familiar with the discussions described marked progress since November 2025, when U.S. and Ukrainian representatives met in Geneva.

“We felt that the meeting in Abu Dhabi was a critical step towards getting to the next phase,” one U.S. official said.

Joseph Lord, Ryan Morgan, and Emel Akan contributed to this report.