Kremlin not taking Ukraine talks seriously – Kallas
Peace efforts regarding Ukraine will only reinforce Russian aggression if Russia is not forced to make real concessions.
As Censor.NET reports citing ERR, this was stated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on the program Europe Today.
The EU’s top diplomat voiced concern over U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine, which have so far produced no results. According to her, the stalemate indicates that the Kremlin is not acting in good faith.
"There are no serious people at the table among the Russian negotiators. I do not expect anything to come out of this round of talks," Kallas stressed.
The imbalance in the demands of Kyiv and Moscow remains significant
"We see that Ukrainians are ready to make concessions in order to end this war. However, we have not seen any concessions from the Russian side," she emphasized.
According to Kallas, at present, the painful concessions, mainly concerning territories, are supposedly expected to be made only by Ukrainians.
"Ukrainians themselves must decide what concessions they are prepared to make. Russians are demanding the absolute maximum, things that never belonged to them and then threaten, issue ultimatums, and use force," she said.
In the view of the EU’s top diplomat, Russia must be put in a position where it "moves from pretending to real negotiations," which will require unity from the West.
Peace talks in the UAE
- Earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine, the United States and Russia are to hold trilateral talks in the UAE.
- Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian dictator, confirmed the participation of the Russian delegation in a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on Friday, January 23.
- Zelenskyy approved the composition of the Ukrainian delegation.
- According to Zelenskyy, the issue of Donbas will be key at the meeting in Abu Dhabi.
- According to media reports, no compromise was reached at the talks in Abu Dhabi. The US and Russia are putting pressure on Ukraine.
- On Saturday, 24 January, the second round of negotiations between representatives of Ukraine, the US and Russia took place in Abu Dhabi.
- The next trilateral meetings within the peace talks will take place in Abu Dhabi on February 4 and 5.
- US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the United States had reached an agreement on an exchange of 314 prisoners. This is the first such exchange in five months.
