Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re 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, on Friday and are set to continue for two days, marking the first trilateral meeting of the three countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The discussions follow a late-night meeting 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’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re 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, on Friday and are set to continue for two days, marking the first trilateral meeting of the three countries since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The discussions follow a late-night meeting 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’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Both meetings centered on territorial disputes, which Witkoff—speaking on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, before he headed to Moscow—said is the “one issue” 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. proposals have floated turning the Donbas—a region that includes Donetsk as well as the neighboring Luhansk oblast (province) of Ukraine—into a demilitarized free economic zone in exchange for security guarantees for Kyiv. Russia currently occupies nearly all of Luhansk and roughly two-thirds of Donetsk.
Despite renewed efforts, there appears to be little sign of compromise. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after Thursday’s meeting with U.S. officials in Moscow that, while Russia was “sincerely interested” in a diplomatic solution, there would be “no hope” of a long-term settlement unless territorial issues were resolved according to the framework agreed at the Trump-Putin Alaska summit in August 2025. No formal agreement emerged from that meeting, though it was widely perceived as a diplomatic win for Putin.
“Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation,” Ushakov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also reaffirmed his refusal to cede territory to Russia. “It’s all about the land. This is the issue which is not solved yet,” he told reporters 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.
Zelensky’s remarks followed a scorching speech 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. “Instead of taking the lead in defending freedom worldwide, especially when America’s focus shifts elsewhere, Europe looks lost trying to convince the U.S. president to change,” Zelensky said.
Meanwhile, intensified Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have plunged Kyiv into the worst winter power crisis since the war began, leaving residents struggling through power and heat blackouts amid subfreezing temperatures. Zelensky declared 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.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Parliamentary dissolution. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of parliament on Friday, seeking to capitalize on strong approval ratings 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’s hard-line agenda and strengthen her standing on the global stage.
Takaichi is “hoping to rekindle that magic of the Abe era when the LDP ruled supreme,” Jeff Kingston, a professor of Asian studies at Temple University’s Japan Campus, told Time magazine.
Critics warn the move will delay parliamentary approval of Japan’s fiscal 2026 budget and price relief measures at a moment of economic strain and rising costs. The strategy could also backfire if the LDP—weakened in recent years by political funding scandals and ties to the Unification Church—fails to secure a majority of the lower house’s 465 seats. Still, with a 12-day campaign beginning next Tuesday, opposition parties do not appear to pose a serious threat.
Takaichi, who has only held office for three months, made major waves 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.
Continued violence. Ugandan military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba said in a series of social media posts on Friday that authorities had detained 2,000 opposition supporters and killed 30 National Unity Platform (NUP) members. Kainerugaba’s father, President Yoweri Museveni, won a seventh term in a disputed election last weekend. The vote took place during a government-imposed internet shutdown and has been marred by reports of widespread repression, voter intimidation, and violence against the opposition.
“Most NUP terrorist leaders are in hiding,” Kainerugaba posted. “We shall get them all.”
Speaking to the BBC 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’s “captured” judiciary. Instead, he encouraged Ugandans to “use any legal means to fight back and protect their democracy.” 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 announced the detention of NUP lawmaker Muwanga Kivumbi for charges relating to a disputed clash between police and NUP supporters on Jan. 15.
Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transfer of power since the country gained independence—and this election appears no different. “Museveni’s regime, like many long-standing autocracies, no longer competes with outsiders; it competes with itself,” wrote Kristof Titeca in Foreign Policy in November 2025. “Its elections are not about legitimacy but about calibration—deciding how to distribute spoils without destabilizing the pyramid.”
Growing rift. The White House’s relationship with the United States’ northern neighbor is getting even icier. Just one day after Trump remarked that “Canada lives because of the United States,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney fired back on Thursday. “Canada doesn’t live because of the United States. Canada thrives because we are Canadian,” he declared, appearing to directly respond to the U.S. leader’s comments.
Carney—who earlier this month traveled to Beijing to ink a preliminary trade deal with China—has publicly and forcefully outlined a road map to pushing back against the Trump administration’s global agenda. He elucidated that vision on Tuesday in a fiery speech at Davos in which he declared that countries are facing “a rupture in the world order.” He added that “middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
Later on Thursday, Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that he had rescinded an invitation to Carney to join Trump’s invite-only “Board of Peace.” Canadian officials had previously said that Carney planned to accept the invitation, but he appeared to reverse course after the White House revealed that countries would have to pay $1 billion to get a permanent seat on the board.—Christina Lu
What in the World?
Peruvian President José Jerí said on Monday that he would make himself available to prosecutors and a congressional committee that are investigating him for doing what?
A. Accepting undisclosed gifts from regional heads of state
B. Having undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman
C. Conspiring to postpone April elections
D. Bribing legislators to execute his political agenda
Odds and Ends
Costume designer Ruth E. Carter made Academy Award history yesterday as the most-nominated Black woman of all time, earning her fifth nomination for her work in the Jim Crow-era Southern Gothic vampire thriller Sinners, which also broke Oscars records with 16 nominations. Carter previously became the first Black person to win an Oscar for costume design for Black Panther (2019) and won again for Wakanda Forever (2022), cementing her status as one of Hollywood’s most prominent designers.
And the Answer Is…
B. Having undisclosed meetings with a Chinese businessman
The meetings follow a regional trend of countries seeking out stronger partnerships with countries outside of the United States, which FP’s Catherine Osborn wrote about in Latin America Brief.
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Great Job Maxine Davey & the Team @ World Brief – Foreign Policy Source link for sharing this story.
