Talks in Abu Dhabi: Russia demands international recognition of occupied Ukrainian Donbas as Russian
Russian President Vladimir Putin (photo: Getty Images)
During talks in Abu Dhabi, Russia put forward a new condition for ending the war — international recognition of Donbas as Russian, according to Russian media.
Now, Russia is demanding not only the surrender of Donbas for peace to be achieved, but also its recognition as Russian by "all countries" participating in the negotiations.
Talks in Abu Dhabi
On Wednesday, February 4, another round of trilateral talks involving the United States, Ukraine, and Russia began in Abu Dhabi. The discussions lasted about five hours, and the talks are continuing today.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and head of the Ukrainian delegation, Rustem Umerov, said that after the main meeting, work continued in the format of separate groups.
Previous talks in the United Arab Emirates took place on January 23–24. Ukraine, Russia, and the United States held their first trilateral meeting, but the parties did not publicly disclose the results of the agreements.
Sources told RBC-Ukraine that progress was recorded in the military block. The discussion concerned possible disengagement of forces, mechanisms for monitoring a ceasefire, and the creation of a coordination center.
However, the territorial issue, which is key, has still not been resolved: Russia is standing its ground on the withdrawal of troops from Donbas, while Kyiv is not making concessions.
Recently, during talks with journalists, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the territorial issue, primarily regarding Donbas, is key.
According to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War, the territorial and political demands of the aggressor country are significantly broader than the Kremlin's statements about Donbas that are publicly voiced for Western audiences.
