Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have begun a second spherical of US-led peace talks in Abu Dhabi as Washington seeks a pathway to finish the almost four-year battle in Ukraine.
The 2-day trilateral talks beginning on Wednesday come after Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of exploiting a US-backed vitality truce final week to stockpile weapons earlier than launching a report variety of ballistic missile assaults at Ukraine on Tuesday.
Regardless of renewed diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration, the prospects for a viable peace deal stay unclear, with Moscow persevering with to press its maximalist territorial calls for. The Kremlin has repeatedly mentioned any settlement should embody Ukraine ceding the whole jap Donbas area, together with areas nonetheless below Ukrainian management. Kyiv has rejected such phrases, saying the battle ought to as a substitute be frozen alongside the present frontline and ruling out any unilateral withdrawal of its forces.
Different main obstacles stay. Moscow has mentioned it might not tolerate European troops on Ukrainian soil, a situation Kyiv sees as important for credible safety ensures. Chatting with Ukraine’s parliament on Tuesday, the Nato secretary common, Mark Rutte, mentioned European allies had dedicated to deploying forces to Ukraine as soon as a deal was reached – a proposal Russia has to this point flatly rejected.
The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, mentioned on Wednesday Russian forces would proceed preventing till Kyiv made “choices” that would carry the battle to an finish, underlining Moscow’s hardline stance at the same time as negotiations resumed.
Kyiv was dealt a diplomatic blow earlier than the talks when Trump declined to sentence Russia for pounding Ukraine’s vitality grid with missiles and drones regardless of an obvious ceasefire.
“Benefiting from the coldest days of winter to terrorise individuals is extra necessary to Russia than turning to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy wrote after the assaults, urging western governments to denounce the strikes.
Trump mentioned in a while Tuesday that Vladimir Putin had “saved his phrase” on the ceasefire, including that Russia’s pause in assaults was solely meant to final till Sunday.
The second spherical of talks was initially supposed to begin Sunday in Abu Dhabi, however was postponed till Wednesday due to rising tensions within the area over Iran.
The US particular envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, have travelled to Abu Dhabi for the negotiations. The 2 males have change into fixtures in US diplomacy, shuttling between talks on the Center East, the Iran disaster and the Ukraine battle, however have confronted criticism over their lack of formal diplomatic expertise.
Ukraine’s staff contains Kyrylo Budanov, the previous head of army intelligence who now leads the presidential administration, and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of the final workers. The Russian delegation is led by Igor Kostyukov, the top of the GRU army intelligence service, alongside different senior intelligence officers and the Kremlin’s funding envoy, Kirill Dmitriev.
A possible assembly between Putin and Zelenskyy has been mooted, however the Kremlin mentioned it might solely comply with such talks if the Ukrainian chief have been prepared to journey to Moscow for them.
In a present of wartime alignment, Putin held a video name with China’s president, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday, with each leaders hailing the power of bilateral ties.
China has emerged as a vital financial lifeline for Russia, stepping up commerce and purchases of Russian oil as western sanctions have tightened. Ukraine and several other European governments have accused Beijing of offering weapons to Russia, allegations China denies.
Washington has beforehand put stress on India, one other shut companion of Moscow, to curb its purchases of Russian oil, which the west says assist finance Putin’s battle.
