Hey there from CNN. I'm Christabel Polanco with the five things you need to know for Friday, January 23rd.

Nearly four years into Russia's war in Ukraine, officials from both countries and the U.S. are meeting face to face for the first time.

The talks in Abu Dhabi come after President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Whitkoff, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner,

met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for more than three hours yesterday.

After they wrapped up, Trump expressed optimism about reaching a deal.

There were times when Putin didn't want to make a deal, times when Zelensky didn't want to make a deal.

And it was like opposite times.

Now I think they both want to make a deal.

Whitkoff says negotiations can boil down to one issue, but it's a pretty big one, territory.

Here's CNN's Nick Payton Walsh.

It's not one small issue.

It's the reason Russia invaded.

It's the thing that Russia wants Ukraine to give up more of,

and that Ukraine says is a red line in terms of giving up land without a fight.

So it's a huge mountain to climb.

More news coming up, including a new wave of protests in Minnesota and the U.S.'s latest breakup.

Hundreds of businesses in Minnesota are expected to shudder today as part of a so-called

economic blackout to protest the immigration crackdown there.

CNN affiliate K-A-R-E says the strike was organized by local faith leaders and unions, who

are urging Minnesotans to stay home from worker school.

The outrage in the state is growing over how ICE is treating families, including five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father.

The family's attorney says that the father was going through the legal process for asylum, but was still detained along with his son and taken to a facility in Texas.

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