“Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which took place on Friday in Abu Dhabi, ended without a compromise. The parties focused primarily on the territorial issue, but there was no convergence of positions. This is reported by Reuters. According to the agency, the meeting took place against the background of growing pressure from the US on Kyiv with the demand to move towards a peace agreement. At the same time, Moscow took a hard line”, — write on: ua.news
The negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which took place on Friday in Abu Dhabi, ended without a compromise. The parties focused primarily on the territorial issue, but there was no convergence of positions. He understands this Reuters.
According to the agency, the meeting took place against the background of growing pressure from the US on Kyiv with the demand to move towards a peace agreement. At the same time, Moscow has taken a tough position and insists on handing over the entire eastern industrial zone of Donbas to it as a condition for the cessation of hostilities.
Territories as the main topic
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed that the territorial issue itself has become the central topic of negotiations with the participation of Ukraine, Russia and the USA. According to him, the three-way format should end on Saturday, and it is too early to draw final conclusions. “The most important thing is for Russia to be ready to end the war it started,” Zelensky emphasized.
The President also said that he is in constant contact with the Ukrainian delegation and receives information about the progress of the negotiations in real time. The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and head of the delegation Rustem Umerov noted that the parties discussed the general parameters of ending the war and the further logic of the negotiation process. At the same time, according to him, concrete agreements could not be reached.
Contacts with the USA and security issues
The talks in Abu Dhabi took place after Zelensky’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Then the Ukrainian leader said that the agreement on security guarantees from the US side had already been prepared. “The document is ready. We are only waiting to determine the date and place of signing,” Zelenskyy said.
Kyiv insists that any peace agreement must be accompanied by clear and reliable security guarantees from Western partners. Ukraine fears that without such guarantees, Russia will use the truce as a pause to prepare new aggression.
Attacks by the Russian Federation and the risk of a humanitarian crisis
The negotiations are taking place against the background of intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. As a result of the attacks, interruptions in electricity supply and heating are recorded in large cities, in particular in Kyiv, during severe frosts.
Maksym Tymchenko, the general director of the largest private energy producer of Ukraine, said Reutersthat the situation is approaching a humanitarian catastrophe. “The country needs a ceasefire to stop attacks on the power system,” he said. The Department of Energy reported that the system experienced its worst day since November 2022.
Donbas as a point of conflict
Moscow declares readiness for a diplomatic settlement, but at the same time insists on achieving its own goals. The Kremlin demands that Ukraine hand over to Russia about 20% of the territory of the Donetsk region, which currently remains under the control of Kyiv.
President Zelensky categorically rejects such conditions, stressing that Ukraine will not cede territories that Russia was unable to capture during the years of full-scale war.
Russian version and “Anchorage formula”
As Reuters writes with reference to Russian sources, the Kremlin is counting on the so-called “Anchorage formula”. According to Moscow, it was allegedly agreed upon between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last August.
A source close to the Kremlin claims that this formula involves giving Russia control over all of Donbas and freezing the front line in other areas of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Assets of the Russian Federation and the issue of reparations
Separately, Moscow offered to use Russian assets frozen in the US worth almost 5 billion dollars to restore the occupied territories. Ukraine and its European allies insist that these funds should be used to pay reparations for destroyed cities and damage. Commenting on the Russian idea, Zelensky called it “nonsense.” Talks in Abu Dhabi are ongoing, but as of now the sides remain fundamentally different, and the territorial issue continues to block any progress.
It will be recalled that the second day of negotiations between Ukraine, the USA and Russia started in Abu Dhabi.
Negotiations in Abu Dhabi continue, Umerov summed up the results of the first day.
Also, the first conversation between Ukraine, the USA and the Russian Federation took place in Abu Dhabi.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi increased the composition of the Ukrainian delegation to participate in the tripartite negotiations between Ukraine, the USA and Russia, which will be held in the UAE.
Read us on Telegram and Sends
