After meetings of delegations with Ukraine, the United States and the Russian Federation in Abu Dhabi, the interlocutor said that they were a “critical step” to move to the next stage of negotiations.
If the next round of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi shows progress, it could pave the way for a direct meeting between the parties in Kyiv or Moscow, the source said. The Americans believe that these negotiations should take place before a potential meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
“We are very close to the meeting between Putin and Zelensky. […] We don't think we're far from it. If we continue on the current path, we will get there,” the American official said.
The next round of negotiations is planned to be held in Abu Dhabi on February 1.
Sources also said that during the negotiations “respect prevailedbecause everyone was really looking for a solution,” and during a joint lunch on January 24, the parties looked “almost like friends.”
Axios sources informed that during the negotiations on January 23 and 24 in the UAE, the delegations of Ukraine and Russia, in particular, held bilateral meetings without the Americans.
Context
January 23 to the parties failed to reach a compromise on the territorial issue, Reuters wrote. After that, on the night of January 24, the Russians fired 21 missiles at Ukraine, with Kyiv and the region under the main attack. The next day, negotiations continued.
January 24 Zelensky called the negotiations “constructive.” In the meeting in the UAE “has” results, an unnamed interlocutor told the Russian propaganda agency TASS.
During negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, the United States and Russia in Abu Dhabi on January 23 and 24, the parties achieved some progress on the military issue, but there are no agreements on territories yet, a source told RBC-Ukraine.
