Who are the key players in peace talks between Washington, Ukraine and Russia?

For the first time ever, Russia, Ukraine and the US will get around the table together for a trilateral meeting to discuss peace on Friday.

The historic talks will take place in Abu Dhabi and come hours after a “frank” and “constructive” late-night discussion between US special envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and President Vladimir Putin.

The parties are seeking to narrow gaps in a peace plan proposed by Washington that was initially criticised as pro-Russian.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, freedom to advance its Nato ambitions and EU membership aspirations and to maintain a large military to deter the threat of future Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian leader delivered a scathing address at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, saying Europe “loves to discuss the future but avoids taking action”.

Several countries and high-profile individuals are involved in the discussions, which have resulted in public disagreements. The Independent looks at some of the key characters below.

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Since Trump’s re-election, the billionaire has served as the United States special envoy to the Middle East and special envoy for peace missions.

He played a key role in negotiating a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas last year alongside Trump’s son-in-law Kushner.

Prior to his political career, Witkoff enjoyed successful business dealings in the Middle East and strong relationships with the Qatari government, which were reported to be a key source of funds for his company, the Witkoff Group.

The real-estate developer and investor also served during the first Trump administration as member of the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, set up to deal with the economic impact of the Covid pandemic.

Last year, he found himself in the firing line after a tape was leaked of him appearing to coach Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s senior aide, on how to negotiate in Russia’s interests.

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The 45-year-old investor and businessman is married to President Trump’s daughter Ivanka, which served as the gateway for his transition into politics. He served as a senior advisor to Trump during his first term in office between 2017 and 2021.

Kushner began his real estate investment career early, acquiring over $7bn worth of property – predominantly in New York City – over a decade.

He was scrutinised for links to Russia during an investigation into allegations that the country interfered in American elections and has denied any improper ties.

Playing a major role in brokering a peace deal between Israel and Hamas after the country’s military campaign in Gaza, Kushner has used his business relations in the Middle East to continue diplomacy work in the region.

Sharing a similar entrepreneurial mindset to his father-in-law and Witkoff, he was criticised for his real estate ambitions in the region, with a majority of the Strip levelled by Israeli bombardment.

In December 2025 he emerged as an intermediary in Ukraine-Russia talks.

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A friend and former classmate of JD Vance from the vice president’s Yale Law School days, Driscoll – who has a background in the US military and is the son of a Vietnam veteran – has made a formidable name for himself in the current Trump administration as US army secretary.

Driscoll served for three and a half years in the US Army, including a deployment in Iraq in 2009, leaving duty as a lieutenant. Despite little diplomatic experience, the former investment banker’s background in politics includes an internship at the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs.

He has been directly involved in controversial deployments of the national guard across the US, and succeeded Kash Patel as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

His high-level involvement comes amid a series of controversies and criticism surrounding secretary of war Peter Hegseth.

“There’s not a lot of trust in Hegseth to deliver these messages to key leaders,” a source told Politico. “There is more trust in Dan to do that right now.”

Experienced in drone technology, he has previously shown respect for Ukraine’s resourcefulness in deploying its relatively limited resources to “come up with whatever they have to do to get to an outcome they need”.

He was reportedly cut out of negotiations late last year by a “paranoid” Hegseth after he appeared to be “exerting himself too much”, according to the Telegraph.

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Dmitriev, the Harvard-educated CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), assumed the office of the special presidential envoy on Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation last year despite having little diplomatic experience.

The businessman and his organisation have been under US sanctions, effectively barring American citizens and companies from dealing with them, since 2022.

The close ally of Putin is not popular among other members of his inner circle, with reports that he has clashed with “sidelined” veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and presidential aide Ushakov when they met with American officials in Saudi Arabia in February last year.

Dmitriev has met several times with some of Trump’s closest officials, including Witkoff and Kushner.

He worked directly with Kushner during the first administration, coordinating with him during the pandemic on the delivery of RDIF-supplied ventilators to the US. It sparked concern among officials at the Treasury Department that the US might be violating its own sanctions, according to a senior US official.

The businessman has appeared on various American television stations and at events including the World Economic Forum in Davos, to promote the strengthening of trade ties between the US and Russia.

Dmitriev will be joined by admiral Igor Kostyukov, director of Russian military intelligence. In 2020, the European Union imposed sanctions on Kostyukov after he was accused of stealing Angela Merkel’s emails in a 2015 cyber-attack when the German parliament was hacked.

He was also blacklisted by the US in 2016 along with several other Russian citizens over alleged interference in the American elections.

Kostyukov played a key role in Russia’s operations in Syria and was awarded the country’s highest honour with a Hero of Russia medal.

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On the Ukrainian side, the country’s former defence minister and secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Umerov, will lead discussions for Zelensky.

Umerov has said discussions with negotiators have so far focused on security guarantees and a post-war economic recovery plan for Ukraine.

In February last year, Trump demanded 50 per cent of Ukraine’s mineral riches in exchange for peace.

Zelensky’s head of office, Budanov, took over from Andrii Yermak after a corruption scandal threatened to derail peace talks. He is the first soldier to head the presidential office. The 39-year-old is also the youngest person to ever hold the position.

The military intelligence officer brings a wealth of battlefield knowledge to the position. In 2023, Russia issued an arrest warrant against Budanov for accusations of involvement in a 2022 Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge. In December 2025, a Moscow court issued an arrest warrant in absentia for charges relating to terrorism.

Upon his appointment, Budanov said it was an “honour and responsibility” to serve Ukraine at a “historic time”.

Hnatov was appointed Zelensky’s chief of general staff in March 2025 to enhance Ukraine’s combat effectiveness.

“We are systematically transforming the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enhance their combat effectiveness,” Umerov said at the time.