Ukraine, Russia and the US start a new round of contacts in Abu Dhabi

Ukraine, Russia and the United States have started this Wednesday a new round of contacts hosted by the United Arab Emirates, in the second round of three-way talks to close the thorniest issues of an eventual peace agreement.

“Another round of negotiations has begun in Abu Dhabi,” confirmed the secretary of the Ukrainian National Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, who acts as the chief Ukrainian negotiator in the contacts.

As he added in a message on social networks, the first part of the negotiation process is carried out in three groups, between Ukraine, the United States and Russia. “Next, work will be done in separate groups along specific routes, after which a joint synchronization of positions is planned,” he detailed.

Umerov has claimed that the Ukrainian delegation follows “clear guidelines” from the president, Volodimir Zelensky, to achieve a dignified and lasting peace and keeps the president informed about the progress of each stage of the negotiations.

This message has to do with criticism from kyiv and the European Union that Russia does not take the talks seriously and that its own delegation does not have a direct line with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, which hinders achieving notable progress.

The Emirati capital already hosted a two-day meeting at the end of January between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, focused on one of the most difficult aspects of the peace negotiations: the territorial situation of Ukraine when the post-war period arrives, including Russia’s demand to maintain control of the Donbas region, partially occupied by Russian troops as part of the invasion.