The two-day talks between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by the United States in Abu Dhabi, ended without a breakthrough on the most contentious issues, but Washington is preparing to change the format of future meetings. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff want Europe to be directly involved in the next round of talks.
“The reality is that there is currently no trust whatsoever between the parties. There were some very difficult discussions,” Kushner said at a briefing following the meeting, as quoted by Politico. According to him, all the main issues were put on the table, including the fate of the disputed Ukrainian territories.
Territories Remain the Most Difficult Issue
The mood changed between the two days of talks. The first round lasted four and a half hours and was described by Ukrainian officials as constructive. The second meeting ended after about two hours, and the assessment of it was more restrained.
Kushner described the territorial issue as the “most difficult” one to resolve. The Ukrainian side insisted that the US representatives accept its data on the actual front line and the size of the territories occupied by Russia. According to Ukraine’s position, they are significantly smaller than Moscow claims.
The issue of Ukrainian land will probably be left for a discussion between the leaders, but according to Kushner, there is still a long way to go before such a meeting. “It is obvious that there is not a great deal of trust or warm feelings between the leaders,” he said.
Agreement in Principle on Prisoner Exchange
The most concrete result of the meeting was an agreement on a large-scale humanitarian release of prisoners of war. The final number has not yet been specified, and Kushner made it clear that the agreement depends on the approval of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“One of the positive moments is that we agreed on the largest humanitarian release of prisoners. Tomorrow we will finalize the numbers,” Jared Kushner said.He said that together with Steve Witkoff, he would travel to Moscow to speak with Putin about the issues under discussion and seek further progress.
Washington Wants Europe “At the Table”
The main change in the US position concerns the role of European countries. Representatives of the European Commission, the European Council, NATO, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy were in Abu Dhabi, but did not take part directly in the main talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
“We need the Europeans at the negotiating table. We told President Putin and his team directly that the only way this issue can be resolved is for them to be with us,” Kushner said. According to him, European participation is necessary when discussing relations with NATO and the future security system in Europe.
After meeting with Putin, the US representatives plan to travel to Dublin, where they will speak in person with Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian side wants a date for the next negotiations to be set as quickly as possible and hopes for an agreement by the end of the year.
Zelensky insists that Europe appoint a single representative to speak on its behalf and wants this issue resolved by the end of the month. According to Kushner, a unified European voice would be an even greater achievement than Europe’s admission to the talks itself.
Sources: unian.net, politico.eu, apnews.com