The issue of territories may be put on the table on the second day of the trilateral talks between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. This was reported by the European edition of “Politico”, citing its sources. No final agreement has been reported on the most contentious issue.
The first day of talks on November 10 lasted more than four hours. The main focus was on security guarantees for Ukraine and the future security architecture in Europe. Humanitarian issues and possible de-escalation measures were also discussed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the talks as “very productive,” but gave no indication of a swift agreement.
Moscow and Kyiv remain at odds
According to U.S. officials, Russia and Ukraine have shown some flexibility on the territorial issue in private discussions. Their public positions, however, remain substantially apart. Russia is insisting on control over the entire Donbas, while Ukraine wants a future settlement to be based on the current front line.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejects demands that Kyiv voluntarily cede territories that Russian forces have failed to capture on the battlefield. Moscow, for its part, insists that Russia’s claims to the occupied Ukrainian territories be recognized as part of a possible peace agreement.
U.S. wants Europe to participate in the next round
Alongside the talks on the war, Washington is insisting that Europe be given a direct role in the next phase of negotiations. U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have said that the current meeting should be the last without full European participation.
“We need Europe at the table. Our proposal is to include the Europeans in the discussions after this trilateral meeting,” a U.S. official told “Politico.”The talks in Abu Dhabi are the first trilateral discussions between Russia, the United States and Ukraine in nine months. The meeting was organized by Washington, while the next round is expected to focus on combining territorial issues with security guarantees and the possible participation of European countries.
Sources: ukrinform.net, apnews.com, axios.com