Trilateral peace talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States are expected to resume on Sunday with a focus on the issue of territory.
High-ranking officials from the three countries held their first meeting to end the war in Ukraine over two days through January 24 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said those talks covered a broad range of military issues necessary to bring an end to the war.
The Russian side described the negotiations as being held in a “constructive atmosphere.”
However, Moscow and Kyiv are apparently far apart on the issue of territory. Russia is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the eastern region of Donbas, which Russia has unilaterally annexed — a proposal Ukraine finds hard to accept.
Reuters news agency reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev headed for meetings on Saturday with members of a US delegation in the southern state of Florida. The two sides are believed to be coordinating their views ahead of the new round.
The trilateral negotiations are expected to focus on the territorial issue and security guarantees for Kyiv.