Ahead of trilateral talks on security issues in Abu Dhabi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that Moscow's well-known position is that the Ukrainian army must leave the entire territory of Donbas, but he refused to go into details about the negotiations, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
"It is well-known that Russia's position is that Ukraine and the Ukrainian armed forces must leave the territory of Donbas, they must withdraw from there. This is a very important condition," Peskov said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the central issue in Ukraine's war against Russia, the issue of territories, will be discussed at the trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi today, Reuters and Ukrinform reported.
In response to journalistic questions in a chat with the media, the complex issue of Donbas will be one of the main topics discussed in Abu Dhabi.
"The issue of Donbas is key. Today and tomorrow in Abu Dhabi, the three sides will share and discuss their views on the issue," the Ukrainian leader said.
His adviser, meanwhile, specified that the talks in the capital of the United Arab Emirates will begin tonight.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand that Ukraine cede the twenty percent of the territory of the Donetsk region, which is still under its control, is the main stumbling block. Zelensky refuses to hand over Ukrainian land that Russia has failed to seize in four years of slow and painful military action.
Zelensky added that the agreement with the United States on security guarantees for Kiev is ready, and according to him, he is only waiting for his American counterpart Donald Trump to announce a specific date and place for its conclusion.
Ukraine wants strong security guarantees from its allies that Russia, which has so far shown no particular interest in ending the war, will not invade again.
Asked to comment on the issue of allowing Moscow's frozen assets to be used to finance the reconstruction of Russian territories such as the Kursk region, Zelensky said that would be "ridiculous".
Russia has previously proposed that funds from the frozen assets be used to restore the territories it has occupied in Ukraine.
"Of course, we will fight (the assets should be used for Ukraine) and it is entirely fair that all assets be used for this purpose," Zelensky pointed out.