Ukraine is aiming to reach agreements in the next round of peace talks with Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, while also trying to understand what Russia actually wants.
Military and politico-military issues will be on the table at the meeting in the UAE, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said at a briefing, a video of which was published by the Telegram channel Novosti. LIVE.
According to Tykhyi, talks are continuing in Abu Dhabi today and tomorrow. The first thing the Ukrainian delegation expects is to hear what feedback the Russians bring from their last round of talks, since they may have coordinated their position with the country’s military-political leadership.
“The focus of these negotiations will primarily be military and politico-military issues. This is evident from the composition of the delegations meeting there. There are many nuances regarding how the war will end — a process in which Ukraine is interested,” Tykhyi said.
Earlier reports indicated that the composition of the Russian delegation in the next round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi will remain unchanged — it will be led by GRU chief Igor Kostyukov.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti that Russia will continue the war until “the appropriate decisions are made by Kyiv.” At the same time, the Kremlin does not plan to provide updates on the status of the negotiations after the next round in Abu Dhabi.
Tikhiy also explained that it is inappropriate during the talks to discuss publicly the details of what will be on the negotiating table.
He added that Ukraine wants to find out what mandate and position the Russian side has brought after consultations with Russia’s leadership, as well as hear the American position, since the United States is also participating in this round. In particular, U.S. President’s special representative Steve Witkoff will attend.
Another topic, besides military and politico-military issues, will be the humanitarian situation. Tykhyi said Ukraine has a strong team that will work to tackle all tasks.
Earlier, Focus outlined what to expect from these talks and which scenarios appear realistic now. The negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of optimistic Western forecasts that the war could end as soon as spring.
Before this, Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is ready for any formats of talks with Russia and the United States. He stressed that territorial issues can be effectively resolved only during a personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Zelensky, a three-way contact between Ukraine, Russia and the United States must take place first; without such a format, the teams will not be able to agree on territorial issues.
