This week, the conflict reached its 1,418th day, the same number of days the Soviet Union's Red Army fought against Nazi Germany during the "Great Patriotic War"

The Kremlin stuck to its demand that Ukraine withdraw all its forces from the eastern Donbas region ahead of the talks in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

[Editor's note: Follow the Khaleej Times' live blog for real-time updates on the trilateral talks taking place in Abu Dhabi] Ukrainian, Russian and US officials meet in Abu Dhabi on Friday for talks on a US-drafted plan to end the Ukraine war.

An estimated 415,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded on the battlefields of Ukraine in 2025. Astonishingly, this was not the deadliest year of the conflict.

The talks are taking place in Abu Dhabi, the UAE, with Ukraine being represented by a combination of military officials and diplomats. Russia, however, is reported to have sent only military representatives.

The war between Russia and Ukraine is often presented as a clear-cut narrative of imperial aggression versus national defence. In mainstream discourse, Russia is portrayed as the sole aggressor, with Ukraine as a victim bravely defending its sovereignty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian, U.S., and Russian officials would be holding trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday and Saturday. Zelensky made the announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos,

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue need