Germany has condemned Russia’s refusal to compromise after a second round of talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian and Ukrainian representatives mediated by the United States.
Moscow is “stubbornly insisting” on its position on a “decisive territorial issue,” German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said during a visit to Riga on Monday, January 26.
“If Russia shows no flexibility, I fear the talks could drag on for a long time,” Wadephul said. “That’s why we in Europe must be prepared to continue supporting Ukraine,” he added.
The German foreign minister said the Baltic region is increasingly the target of Russian hybrid attacks — including severed undersea cables, the presence of “shadow fleet” vessels and assaults on offshore wind farms, AFP reported.
“There needs to be more effective information sharing among the Baltic states,” Wadephul urged.
He said it must now be clarified who is responsible for security in international waters. This is “a major shared task” that “we must get to work on quickly,” Wadephul noted. He added that surveillance capabilities should be strengthened and deterrence measures expanded.
Many ships in Russia’s shadow fleet and their owners are already on the EU sanctions list, but “we also want to take action against vessels with unclear flag status,” the foreign minister said.
The first meeting of Russian, Ukrainian and U.S. delegations took place in Abu Dhabi on January 23. The talks in the UAE focused on the “decisive factors” that could end the war, chief Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov said on X. They also discussed the “further logic of the negotiation process.”
The second round was held on January 24 and lasted nearly three hours behind closed doors. Shortly before it began, Moscow reaffirmed its maximal demand for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from all of Donbas, including areas previously not under Russian control — a move Ukraine categorically refuses.
