Ukrainian and Russian negotiators discussed the territorial issue, one of the most difficult topics on the agenda of the talks, in Abu Dhabi today, with no sign of compromise so far. According to reports, the negotiations will continue throughout the day. Meanwhile, Russian air strikes have plunged Ukraine into its worst energy crisis since the start of the war.
Kiev is facing increasing pressure from the United States to reach a peace agreement in the conflict that began with the Russian invasion in February 2022. On the other hand, Moscow demands that Ukraine hand over the entire industrial region of Donbas to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the territorial issue will be central to talks taking place in the United Arab Emirates and expected to conclude on Saturday.
"The most important thing is that Russia is ready to end the war it started," Zelensky said in a message on Telegram. He added that he is in constant contact with the Ukrainian delegation, but stressed that it is still too early to draw conclusions from today's talks.
"We will see how the discussion goes tomorrow and what the outcome will be," he concluded.
A day earlier, Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, but the meeting did not yield immediate results.
