Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Telegram
According to the president, it is still too early to draw conclusions.
In the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, the first conversation has already taken place between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the United States. The Ukrainian negotiators should already have at least some answers from Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address.
“Today there are many tasks, including for our diplomatic team. Almost every hour Ukrainian representatives report to me… This is important, because there have not been such trilateral meeting formats for a long time,” the head of state said.
Speaking about the parameters for ending the war, Zelenskyy stressed that the main thing is for Russia to be ready to end the war that it itself started.
“Ukraine’s positions are clear. I have defined the framework for dialogue for our delegation. The delegation is in constant contact — Rustem Umerov, Kyrylo Budanov, Davyd Arakhamia, Serhiy Kyslytsia. Tomorrow General Hnatov, the Chief of the General Staff, and HUR representative Skibitskyi will also join the talks,” the president said.
He added that in terms of substance “today it is still too early to draw conclusions; we need to see how the conversation goes tomorrow and what the results will be.”
“It is necessary not only for Ukraine to want to end this war and achieve full security — but also for a similar desire to somehow be born in Russia,” Zelenskyy stated.
Earlier in the morning, the Office of the President of Ukraine said there was no official start time for the talks in Abu Dhabi. Some of the teams are already on site and may be holding informal discussions. Around 11:30 a.m., Sky News reported that the negotiations in Abu Dhabi had begun, but the President’s Office noted that this did not yet mean the official start of the meeting.
The trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates are expected to last up to two days. The main issue on the agenda is the future of Donbas.
