Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session

A trilateral security working group comprising Russian, U.S., and Ukrainian officials will hold its first session in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), later Friday, a top Russian official said on Friday.

Following directives from President Vladimir Putin, the Russian delegation, which includes representatives of the Ministry of Defense, is set to fly to the UAE shortly, said Putin's foreign policy assistant Yuri Ushakov.

Ushakov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff had constructive, candid talks on Thursday night lasting over three and a half hours in the Krimlin, Moscow, focusing on the peace in Ukraine.

Ushakov and Russian presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev were among the Russian officials attending the talks. The U.S. delegation also included U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as White House staff member Josh Gruenbaum.

The U.S. delegation briefed on the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Davos, Ushakov said.

Ushakov expressed Russia's sincere desire to resolve the Ukraine crisis through political and diplomatic means but emphasized that the territorial issue should be resolved according to the consensus previously reached by the Russian and U.S. sides in Anchorage.

"Until this is achieved, Russia will continue to consistently pursue the objectives of the special military operation," he said.

Ushakov said the Russian and U.S. sides also discussed the future prospects of bilateral relations.

Shortly after Putin began talks in the Kremlin with U.S. envoys, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russia's Tu-22M3 long-range strategic bombers performed a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

The bombers were escorted by Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the ministry said in a statement.

The flight continued for more than five hours. At certain stages of the route, the long-range bombers were escorted by foreign countries' fighter jets.

The ministry said that long-range aviation crews regularly fly over the neutral waters of the Arctic, North Atlantic, Pacific oceans as well as Baltic and Black seas. All flights of the Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft are carried out in strict compliance with international rules on the use of airspace over international waters.

Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session

Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session

Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session

Russia-US-Ukraine security working group to hold first session

The closing ceremony of a study session for provincial and ministerial leaders was held in Beijing on Friday, when the high-ranking officials were urged to make all-out efforts to advance this year's economic and social development work and kick off the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) with a sound start.

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, made the requirement while addressing the closing ceremony.

The study session was held this week for the officials to study and implement the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Stressing the importance of a speech delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, at the opening ceremony of the study session, Cai urged the officials to maintain strategic resolve, strengthen confidence in victory, actively take responsibility, and strive to turn the grand blueprint into reality. 　　 During the study session, the officials had in-depth discussions and combined theory with practice, further deepening their understanding of the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. 　　 Cai urged the officials to make good use of the outcomes of the study session and turn what they have learned into concrete results in their work.

Study session for provincial officials concludes