“In the morning, the Secretary of the National Security Council Rustem Umyerov announced that the second day of negotiations with the participation of the delegations of Ukraine, the United States and Russia began in the capital of the United Arab Emirates”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
She did not give details of the meeting, noting that it will be announced later.
In the morning, the Secretary of the NSDC, Rustem Umyerov, announced that the second day of negotiations with the participation of the delegations of Ukraine, the USA and Russia began in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
“We are working in the same formats as yesterday: tripartite consultations, work in groups and further synchronization of positions,” Umyerov wrote in the Telegram channel, promising to provide the results later.
Subsequently, the special envoy of the US President, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that at the negotiations in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, the delegations of the United States, Ukraine and Russia agreed on the first exchange of prisoners in five months. He wrote on the X network that 314 people on both sides would be fired.
“This result was achieved thanks to detailed and productive peace negotiations. While much work remains, these steps demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is producing tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Discussions will continue and additional progress is expected in the coming weeks,” the US negotiator wrote.
On the evening of February 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi informed that Ukraine and Russia will “soon” exchange prisoners of war.
Following the results of the first day of negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the reduction of the list of open issues between Ukraine and Russia regarding the achievement of a peace agreement, but the “most difficult” issues remain.
Rustem Umyerov, Secretary of the NSDC, called the discussions in a tripartite format “meaningful and productive”.
On the American side, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and Josh Gruenbaum, as well as Daniel Driscoll and General Alex Hrynkevich took part in the consultations. The Russian side was represented at a high military level.
After the massive attack of the Russian Federation on Ukraine, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on February 3 that “the work of the negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov told reporters on the morning of February 4 that Russia’s position in the negotiations remains unchanged and that it is “absolutely clear and well understood by both Kyiv and the American negotiators.”
The first tripartite talks between Ukraine, the USA and Russia since the start of the full-scale Russian war took place on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi. The next stage was planned to be held on February 1, but later it became known that the next tripartite meetings between Ukraine, the USA and Russia will take place on February 4 and 5.
On January 28, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the territorial issue remains unresolved. Russia demands the withdrawal of the Armed Forces from the part of the Donetsk region that its troops did not capture.
On January 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, while visiting Vilnius, stated that Kyiv’s position regarding the territories has not changed, and that all parties should be ready for compromises. He also noted that bilateral security guarantees with the USA are “100%” ready, and Kyiv is waiting for their signing.
Earlier in December, Zelenskyi said that the issue of possible territorial solutions should be decided by the people of Ukraine “in the format of elections or in the format of a referendum.”
Instead, the Kremlin continues to reject Western security guarantees for Ukraine and signals adherence to its maximalist goals in the war, ISW analysts previously noted.