Abu Dhabi, UAE – Russian and Ukrainian officials announced that the two sides will discuss the issue of disputed territories during a two-day round of talks beginning Friday in Abu Dhabi,
amid a lack of any indication that either side is prepared to make concessions that could end the nearly four-year-long war.
These talks come as Kyiv faces increasing pressure from the United States to push for a peace agreement with Moscow,
which insists that Ukraine relinquish control of the entire Donbas region in eastern Ukraine as a precondition for a ceasefire.
The conflict over this region remains the most significant obstacle to any political progress toward a settlement.
President Putin’s insistence
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the territorial issue, particularly in Donbas, would top the agenda of the talks hosted by the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to the media after his meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, he explained that the discussions would focus on how the three parties—Ukraine, Russia, and the United States—would address this complex issue.
According to a Ukrainian official, the talks are scheduled to begin Friday evening and resume Saturday morning. However,
diplomatic sources indicated that the two sides remain far apart, especially given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence
that Kyiv relinquish control of the remaining parts of the Donetsk region, a demand categorically rejected by the Ukrainian leadership.
A move rejected by Kyiv
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Ukraine’s relinquishment of Donbas is a “crucial condition” for Moscow.
Reuters quoted a source close to the Kremlin as saying that Russia believes the formula previously discussed
with Washington implies its complete control over Donbas, with a freeze on the front lines in other areas.
Donetsk is one of four regions that Moscow annexed in 2012, a move rejected by Kyiv and Western countries.
The Russian delegation to the talks is to be headed by the head of military intelligence, Igor Kostyukov,
while the Ukrainian delegation will be led by Rustam Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Observers believe the Abu Dhabi talks represent a serious test of the possibility of breaking the political deadlock,
despite the slim chances of a real breakthrough given the hardening of positions.
