Trilateral talks between US, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi may resume next week

ABOUT/MOSCOW/ KIEV - Trilateral talks between representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Russia on options for ending the war in Ukraine, which took place on Friday and Saturday in Abu Dhabi, could resume as early as next week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this after the second day of talks, adding that the Ukrainian side is ready for another round of negotiations. According to AP, the negotiators could return to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, February 1.

The negotiations, which took place under strict secrecy and without direct press conferences, are considered one of the most serious diplomatic attempts to shift the conflict in recent months. The UAE has in recent years profiled itself as a neutral platform for sensitive international talks, and its role as mediator has been accepted by all three sides.
However, according to anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations, no breakthroughs were made on key issues, particularly on the territorial arrangement and the status of the occupied areas. Differences in positions remain fundamental and neither side has reportedly put forward a proposal that could be described as a compromise.

After the meeting, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that the continuation of the dialogue itself was important, despite the lack of concrete results. „The diplomatic path is difficult but necessary. We are ready to continue the negotiations,“ Zelensky said in his statement. He also stressed that Ukraine will not accept a solution that would mean the loss of its sovereignty or internationally recognised territory. The U.S. side has not officially commented on the details of the talks.

However, an unnamed US official confirmed to the AP that Washington considers dialogue necessary and is ready to participate in the next round of negotiations. The Russian delegation has not yet made public its position on the results of the meeting. Diplomats point out that the possible resumption of talks in Abu Dhabi should not be seen as an immediate precursor to a ceasefire, but rather as a test of the willingness of all sides to keep communication channels open. The next round of talks should show whether it is possible to move the discussion from a general level to concrete proposals for resolving the conflict.

gnews.cz - GH