Russian officials insist that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from Donbas for any resolution of the conflict. At the same time, the Kremlin views the upcoming trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi between Ukraine, Russia and the United States as an attempt to find common ground and compromise solutions.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stressed during a briefing that the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces is a key condition for resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine. He added that there are other issues that remain on the negotiating agenda.
“Ukraine’s Armed Forces must leave the territory of Donbas; they should be withdrawn from there. This is a very important condition for a settlement. There are also other nuances that remain on the negotiating agenda,” Peskov said.
TASS sources said the Abu Dhabi meeting is seen as a chance to reach compromises and identify shared solutions. He also said the exact time of the talks will be set after delegations arrive, but they are ready to proceed today or tomorrow if needed.
“The main thing is to search for common ground and compromises,” the Kremlin spokesperson said.
During the briefing, Peskov also noted that the Kremlin views Russian assets frozen in the United States - now totaling about five billion dollars - as a potential source of funds to rebuild war-damaged areas, including Donbas.
According to Italy’s Corriere della Sera, the upcoming Abu Dhabi talks are expected to address a potential territorial concession by Ukraine in exchange for large-scale financial aid and security guarantees.
In particular, a reconstruction program worth about $800 billion is being proposed to support the economy and infrastructure after the war.
Negotiators are preparing several documents that could form the basis of a future peace deal, and one key document envisions the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told the paper that this issue is very difficult for Kyiv because territorial concessions face strong resistance among Ukrainians. Still, he believes that “the territory should not be transferred de jure,” so Ukraine would retain the option to revisit the arrangements in the future.
“By giving up the fortified positions in Donetsk, he will face new Russian offensives across the vast plain to the Dnipro, and from there to Odesa. That would be the end of an independent Ukraine, as the country would lose access to the Black Sea and require Russia’s approval for exports,” the report says.
To mitigate these risks, the United States is proposing two main forms of support: large-scale financing and security guarantees, including the possible involvement of European troops on Ukrainian territory. However, these arrangements currently exist only as draft documents; talks have not yet begun and no final decisions have been made.
Earlier, Axios reported that the main topic of the Ukraine–US–Russia talks in Abu Dhabi would be control over territory in eastern Ukraine. This was also confirmed by Volodymyr Zelensky.
In addition, in comments to reporters, Ukraine’s President said the overarching security guarantees agreement with the United States is ready to be signed.
