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.

The talks will take place in Abu Dhabi and won't include heads of state.

Russia’s bigger army has managed to capture about 20% of Ukraine since hostilities began in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of 2022. But the battlefield gains along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line have been costly for Moscow, and the Russian economy is feeling the consequences of the war and international sanctions.

By Andrew Osborn MOSCOW, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Russia is watching with glee as U.S. President Donald Trump's drive to acquire Greenland widens splits with Europe even though his moves could have serious security ramifications for Moscow,

The U.S.-led push to end Russia’s nearly 4-year-old war in Ukraine gained momentum late last year and is moving ahead in 2026, with leaders, diplomats and envoys traveling to a flurry of meetings to discuss a potential deal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a storied history with FIFA and his nation hosted the World Cup back in 2018. The Football Union of Russia (FUR) had appealed against FIFA's to suspend them from participating in competitions due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Trump's envisioned multilayered “Golden Dome” could include space-based sensors to detect missiles. They could reduce the U.S. need for its Greenland-based radar station, said Marcuz, a former nuclear defense worker for France’s Defense Ministry, now with the Foundation for Strategic Research think tank in Paris.

Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. envoys are meeting in the United Arab Emirates, the first known instance that officials from the Trump administration have sat down with both countries as part of Washington’s push to end Moscow’s nearly 4-year-old invasion.