US believes that Russia and Ukraine are showing willingness to make certain concessions regarding territories, – Reuters
Ahead of the talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi, officials in Washington stated that both sides are privately showing some flexibility on the territorial issue and that there are signs of a genuine desire on Russia’s part to end the war.
This was reported by Reuters, citing an unnamed US official, according to Censor.NET.
Flexibility on territorial issues
According to the agency’s source, who spoke to journalists on the eve of the talks in the UAE, both sides are privately demonstrating a certain willingness to compromise on the territorial issue.
He also noted that any territorial agreement is likely to be reached towards the end of the talks, once the parties have agreed on other issues, in particular the post-war security architecture.
Reuters points out that publicly, the parties’ positions remain hardline: Ukraine wants Russia to be pushed back to the original border, whilst the Russian dictator seeks to gain control of the whole of Donbas.
Security guarantees
According to the official, security guarantees for Ukraine will be one of the main topics of the talks, including the possibility of protection for Kyiv modelled on Article 5 of the NATO Treaty.
The talks in Abu Dhabi will be led by US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The meeting is scheduled to last two days. The official suggested that afterwards they may travel to Russia to meet with the Russian dictator.
"Cautious optimism"
The official noted that the talks would take time, but there is cautious optimism on the American side regarding progress. He also said:
"This is the first time I feel that we are seeing a genuine desire on Russia’s part to end [the war]."
What led up to this?
- As reported, talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations, mediated by the US, will take place on 10–11 November in Abu Dhabi (UAE).
- The Russian delegation will be led by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Also taking part in the Abu Dhabi meeting on behalf of the Russian Federation will be representatives of two departments of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Igor Kostyukov and Yuri Zhigalovsky, and deputies to the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin.
- The Ukrainian delegation is led by Rustem Umerov, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Its members include the head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov; his first deputy, Serhii Kyslytsia; the leader of the ‘Servant of the People’ parliamentary faction, Davyd Arakhamia; and the deputy head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence, Vadym Skibitskyi.
- Rustem Umerov, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team, reported that the Ukrainian delegation was on its way to the venue of the planned meetings in Abu Dhabi, where a trilateral meeting is due to take place involving representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia.
- According to Umerov, representatives from European countries – in particular the E4 group (the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy) – as well as NATO and the European Commission, will also be in Abu Dhabi during this period.
