“Zelensky did not specify the composition and format of these meetings, but added that Ukraine is ready for all working formats”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“I am waiting for the negotiating team in Kyiv for a full report, many aspects cannot be discussed over the phone. From what we can already say, the following meetings are planned in the near future. Probably in America,” he said in his video message.
Zelenskyy did not specify the composition and format of these meetings, but added that Ukraine is ready for all working formats that “can really bring peace closer and make it reliable, long-lasting and in such a way that it deprives Russia of the appetite to fight further.”
“It is important that this war ends in such a way that Russia has no reward for aggression. This is one of the key principles that restore and guarantee true security,” he emphasized.
On February 4-5, another round of tripartite talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States, on ways to end the war, took place in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. It is reported that as a result of this meeting, the delegations reached an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war – this is the first exchange in the last five months.
The US President’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, called the discussions on February 4 and 5 “constructive and focused on how to create the conditions for lasting peace.” He also said that the delegations agreed to continue the tripartite negotiations in the coming weeks. But Witkoff did not name the USA as the place of subsequent meetings.
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.
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.