Russia-Ukraine deal close on everything except the issues that really matter - Politico

Negotiations between Ukraine and the US: what is known so far

Although the Ukrainian and Russian delegations are preparing for another round of US-mediated talks on ending the war, Kyiv and Moscow remain at an impasse over key differences.

According to Politico, ahead of last weekend's talks in the United Arab Emirates, US Ambassador Steve Witkoff said that the differences boiled down to one "loose" issue, reports Censor.NET.

Speaking in Davos, US President Donald Trump told reporters that, in his opinion, an agreement on Ukraine was "pretty close."

Three issues are blocking the achievement of a solution

However, according to the publication, negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv in the UAE have reached an impasse over three issues at the heart of the conflict: Russia's demands regarding Ukrainian territory, the future of Ukraine's security guarantees, and whether hostilities should cease before or after an agreement is reached.

And although Russia can no longer realistically hope to capture all of Ukraine in the near future, the Russian president still wants to gain, at a minimum, the entire Donbas region in addition to the already annexed Crimea.

Moscow is proposing a plan it calls the "Anchorage formula," under which Ukraine would have to cede the entire Donbas region, including territories that Russia has not been able to capture. The Kremlin claims that this is what Putin and Trump agreed upon during their meeting in Alaska last year.

But for Kyiv, surrendering the territory would be both illegal and extremely unpopular.

Peace talks in the UAE

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine, the US, and Russia would hold trilateral talks in the UAE.
Russian dictator Yuri Ushakov's assistant confirmed the Russian delegation's participation in a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Friday, January 23.
Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation.
According to Zelenskyy, the Donbas issue will be key at the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
According to media reports, no compromise was reached during the negotiations in Abu Dhabi. The US and Russia are putting pressure on Ukraine.
On Saturday, January 24, the second round of negotiations between representatives of Ukraine, the US, and Russia took place in Abu Dhabi.