Amid escalating Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, US-mediated peace talks will resume today in Abu Dhabi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he has ‘adjusted’ the position in the wake of latest Russian attacks.
Amid escalating Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine, US-mediated peace talks will resume on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations will hold talks mediated by US officials. This will be the second round of trilateral talks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he has “adjusted” the negotiating position in the wake of latest Russian attacks.
“Each such Russian strike confirms that attitudes in Moscow have not changed: they continue to bet on war and the destruction of Ukraine, and they do not take diplomacy seriously. The work of our negotiating team will be adjusted accordingly,” said Zelenskyy.
In the latest overnight barrage, Russia attacked Ukraine with 71 missiles and 450 drones. The attack came even as the Donald Trump administration of the United States had said Russian leader Vladimir Putin had agreed for a weeklong truce. But attacks resumed well before the one-week mark.
As Ukraine is in the grips of a freezing winter, Russia has targeted energy infrastructure in addition to striking civilian settlements, depriving tens of thousands of homes of heating and electricity. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has been accused of weaponising the winter.
Even as Ukraine and Russia are holding US-mediated talks, they are not understood to be close to an agreement. Putin has stuck to his maximalist demands like Ukraine ceding the entire Donbas region. He has also laid other demands whose acceptance would essentially mean Ukraine surrendering sovereignty. Zelenskyy has stressed that legally-binding security guarantees are a must for any deal to be signed. He has reportedly expressed flexibility on the question of land.
While Ukraine’s delegation will be headed by Rustem Umerov, the Security Council chief, the Russian delegation will be led by military intelligence director Igor Kostyukov. In the first round of talks, the American delegation was led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Ahead of the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the talks as “very complex”.
“On some issues, we have certainly come closer because there have been discussions, conversations, and on some issues it is easier to find common ground. There are issues where it’s more difficult to find common ground,” said Peskov.
Ahead of the trilateral meeting, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy, was in Miami, Florida, over the weekend for talks with American officials. The nature of talks has not been disclosed.
End of Article
It’s fascinating how game mechanics tap into our reward systems! Seeing platforms like fastplay legit prioritize verified RNG & security (KYC is key!) builds trust – crucial for sustained engagement, right? It’s more than just luck!