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During a meeting in Abu Dhabi, the delegations of Ukraine and the United States discussed the deployment of neutral peacekeeping forces in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk region.
The New York Times reports that during the talks between Ukraine, the US, and Russia, one of the key issues was the creation of a demilitarized zone in eastern Ukraine.
American and Ukrainian diplomats discussed the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping contingent from neutral countries in the Donbas. This is being considered as an alternative to NATO forces, the presence of which Moscow firmly opposes. At the same time, according to the NYT, the Russian delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, maintains a hardline stance regarding Donetsk, insisting on the full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops.
Russia refers to the so-called “Alaska agreements,” allegedly reached last summer between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to Moscow, the agreement allows Russia to take control of all territories in the region that had not yet been seized. The Russian side rejects any alternative scenarios, although the details of the “Alaska agreement” remain unpublished.
Abu Dhabi negotiations
On January 23–24, a two-day round of talks was held in Abu Dhabi between the delegations of Ukraine, the US, and Russia regarding the end of the war.
According to a source cited by RBC-Ukraine, the first round was introductory, and on Saturday the parties met in an expanded format, after which they split into two subgroups: one political and one military.
Significant progress was made in discussions on the military aspects, although no decisions have been reached regarding territory.
In the military subgroup, the parties discussed whether a redeployment of forces is needed, how ceasefire monitoring would work, the creation of a center for coordination and control of ceasefire issues, and which countries could be represented there.
The military subgroup agreed to prepare proposals from both sides regarding further ceasefire measures ahead of the next meeting.
According to media reports, Moscow is also insisting that electricity generated by the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant be shared between Ukraine and Russia.
According to Axios, the next round of trilateral talks involving the US, Ukraine, and Russia is scheduled for February 1, and will again take place in Abu Dhabi.
